Make a splash this Christmas - give the one you love Bewl Water
by Chris Hunter
Running short of ideas for Christmas presents? Can’t think
what to buy the man or woman who’s got it all?
Well you could buy them the biggest lake in south east England -
if you’ve got a spare £5.5million that is.
That’s the asking price for the long leasehold on leisure
interests at Bewl Water near Lamberhurst, which is up for offer
from current leaseholders Kent Attractions.
The company - which also owns Lamberhurst Vineyard - took on the
lease of the Southern Water-owned reservoir in 2008, but is now
offering it to interested buyers as a potential development
prospect.
Sailing on Bewl Water
Developers be warned though - a proposal for 13 eco homes on the
site met with large scale opposition and was rejected by Wealden
District Council last month.
Lamberhurst parish councillor Bernard Bryant said traffic
problems could become an issue if the site was improved, but
nevertheless believed someone needed to take the leasehold “by the
scuff of the neck.”
“I was surprised it was ever sold in the first place,” said the
lifelong Lamberhurst man. “One would have thought the income would
have been more useful for the water company.
“These others have come in but they just buy it up and sell it
on.”
Lamberhurst as a whole needed the kind of boost that Kent
Attractions had originally provided, he said.
“It was a thriving business,” he said. “They had the Swan at the
Vineyard, there was a restaurant.
Dragon boat racing on the
lake
“At the moment everything’s down in the dumps. People haven’t
got the money in their pockets that they did.
“I’ve always complained that we’ve lost employment in the
village to housing.
“I’m all for new business. Anything that makes employment and
brings people in is good for the village.”
Bewl Water is a popular destination for fishing and sailing,
while a restaurant and passenger boats provide further draws.
Events such as the annual Dragon Boat Festival also pull in
crowds, but buyers will also have to remember the lake’s value as a
nature reserve when considering the scale of development.
No one at Bewl Water Estate Office was available for
comment.
14/12/12
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