A £20m luxury hotel and spa is to be built in Cornwall, near the county's famous tourist attractions of the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan.
Planning permission was granted last week to turn a derelict Grade-II listed property, Moor Cottage near Mevagissey, into a 66-bedroom luxury boutique hotel and spa. Construction will start this autumn and is scheduled to be completed in early 2007.
The 45-acre development, just four miles from the Eden Project, will also include 60 timeshare and self-catering woodland lodges and a stand-alone brasserie.
It's the first hotel project from CMR Leisure, part of solid fuel company Rudrum Holdings.
The hotel management contract has yet to be signed, but discussions are understood to be at a crucial stage with a nationwide branded operator.
The early 19th-century country house, surrounded by landscaped parkland and gardens, was sold privately in late 2003 by the Cornish-based Coode family for an undisclosed sum. The house has remained unoccupied since its closure as a guesthouse in the 1960s.
CMR plans to spend £20m developing the site into a four- to five-star boutique hotel, creating 240 jobs.
Jonathan Langston, managing director of TRI Hospitality Consultancy, which conducted feasibility studies for the site, said the project would target primarily the leisure and short-break sectors, with some conference business.