Plans have been unveiled for a spa, restaurant and sports facilities to be added to the Silverlake luxury holiday village near Crossways.

The submitted expansion plans would see at least 66 new jobs created according to developers – with vacancies including managers, chefs and therapists - with potential for further recruitment during peak seasons.

The application has been made by Habitat First Group to Dorset Council to create a plethora of new facilities around the centrally-located lake within the development.

The proposals would see a spa, restaurant and sports areas added to the site alongside communal areas, a car park and associated infrastructure.

Developers says they have been able to transform the 227-hectare site, previously a quarry and a Second World War airbase, into “an oasis of space where families can holiday comfortably and responsibly, safely explore and re-energise in acres of natural habitat.”

Dorset Echo: The proposals would see a new spa, restaurant and sporting facilities developedThe proposals would see a new spa, restaurant and sporting facilities developed

Under the proposals, new footpaths and cycle routes would be created to link the ‘Dorset Spa’ development with the wider site whilst a new car park would provide space for 180 vehicles.

The spa itself would feature two pools, a sauna and a steam room as well as hot tubs, thermal cabins and a ‘floating firepit’. Alongside that the development would see a ‘water therapy hub’ to offer lakeside treatment as well as a mixture of watersports.

In the design statement, Habitat First Group described their aims of creating an ‘open and welcome’ space through ‘economically sustainable development’ that ‘provide(s) a community hub for the development as a whole’.

Since Silverlake welcomed its first residents in 2017 the development has been through several phases of investment.

Red Paxton, owner of Habitat First Group, said at the time that that the “project will create a lasting legacy for the Dorset area.”

Last month the development released seven new freehold plots with owners able to commission their own eco-friendly home: prices ranged from £630,000 for a four-bedroom design to £1,265,000 for a larger, five bedroom design.

Comments on the application are welcome via the Dorset Council Planning Department website until May 21, with application reference number P/RES/2022/02437.