Plans have been submitted by LEGOLAND Windsor Resort detailing proposals for phases 2 and 3 of the Resort’s holiday village development.
The submission of these plans comes shortly ahead of the planned opening of LEGOLAND Woodland Village in May 2024, which represents phase 1 of the overall holiday village development and comprises 150 units. Phases 2 and 3 were outlined in the Resort’s approved long term plan, subject to the submission of full details. These latter two phases consist of a further 300 units, to be located on what are currently fields to the west / north-west of the first phase of the development.
While the outline proposals consisted largely of the same lodge designs that feature in phase 1, it is noted that an evolving market calls for more a varied offering of accommodation types. The Resort propose to utilise the existing tree lines to break up the development masterplan, providing the opportunity to theme each ‘field boundary’ differently, which will be highlighted through the inclusion of themed entrance portals into the different areas of accommodation. The proposals include the ‘Woodland’ theme in line with Phase 1 of the Holiday Village, as well as an ‘Adventure’ theme and ‘NINJAGO’ theme, with a blend of natural materials proposed across all buildings.
The various types of accommodation are summarised as follows:
- 30 Standard lodges comprising a total of 120 units of guest accommodation (inc. 4 accessible units)
- 3 NINJAGO Accommodation Blocks comprising a total of 80 units (inc. 4 accessible units)
- 12 Premium lodges (Type A) comprising 24 units
- 28 Premium lodges (Type B) comprising 56 units (inc. 4 accessible units)
- 13 Super Premium lodges comprising 13 units (inc. 1 accessible unit)
- 7 Treehouses comprising 7 units (inc. 1 accessible unit)
The development will also consist of a central ‘Hub’ building (additional to that built as part of phase 1), incorporating a reception, restaurant, bar and back of house facilities, a nearby covered entertainments space, as well as a new car park and various service/ancillary buildings.
Standard lodges (Phases 2 and 3)
The main element of the phase 2 development will be 22 standard lodges, which each comprise of 4 units that will sleep up to 5 guests. A further 8 lodges will be included as part of phase 3, to the north of their phase 2 counterparts. The lodges will be arranged in clusters, accessed from a track that meanders through the site. The units are stacked with access to the upper units via an external staircase and upper landing. Each unit will comprise an adults’ bedroom, children’s bedroom and shower room, as well as featuring an outdoor terrace. A blend of natural materials will be used to provide a rustic, hand built feel to the lodges with finishes reflective of the colour and surroundings of a lush Woodland setting.
NINJAGO Accommodation Blocks (Phase 2)
The second type of accommodation to feature in phase 2 will be three NINJAGO themed accommodation blocks, which will consist of 80 rooms sleeping up to 5 guests each. The blocks will be arranged in a large cluster format, located to the west of the phase 2 standard lodges within the same field. The accommodation blocks will be situated at the end of the spine road running through the standard lodges, with a themed portal at the entrance to the cluster and a play area within the central area. Set across two storeys, rooms will be accessed from an external covered corridor, said to be akin to a ‘motel’ arrangement. Each unit will comprise an adults’ bedroom, children’s bedroom and shower room, and there will also be a small external balcony to each room. The design of these blocks is largely based on the NINJAGO Quarter accommodation which opened in 2022 in at LEGOLAND Germany.
Premium lodges (Phase 3)
Within phase 3 of the development, there will be two variations of premium lodges, located in the field to the north of the phase 2 accommodation. There will be 12 Type A premium lodges, each consisting of two units which can accommodate up to 7 guests. Each unit will have an external timber terrace at the front of the lodge with direct access into a small lounge area. The adults’ bedroom will be situated on the mezzanine floor level up a single flight staircase with the children’s bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor. The lounge will contain general furniture and storage as well as a sofa bed to provide space for an additional 2 guests. It is noted that these lodges will be similar in design to the Premium Woodland Lodges that are set to open in phase 1 of the development, although with a different roof design that incorporates a green roof system. There will be 28 Type B premium lodges, each against consisting of two units which can accommodate up to 7 guests. The layout will be the same as the Type A lodges, with it being the external appearance which sees difference. Indeed the Type B lodges will be much closer in appearance to the premium lodges that feature in phase 1, although different colours are proposed to be used whilst maintaining ‘woodland’ tones.
Super premium lodges (Phase 3)
Phase 3 will also feature 13 detached super premium lodges, located in a field to the west of the premium lodges. Each unit will sleep up to 7 guests, with a private external timber terrace leading into a lounge area. The lounge will contain general furniture and storage as well as a sofa bed to provide space for an additional 2 guests. The ground floor will also comprise a children’s bedroom, bathroom and small kitchenette, while the adults’ bedroom will be situated on the upper floor. The design of these lodges is based on the mountain-style A-Frame Cabin LEGO Ideas set, with the look set to be achieved through the use of materials include vertical rough sawn timber cladding and rough cast stone cladding around the base of the exterior terrace.
Treehouses (Phase 3)
The final accommodation option of phase 3 will be 7 detached treehouses, which will be located alongside the super premium lodges in the west field. It is noted that these will be the highest level offering of the development and be the most unique. Each unit is designed to sleep up to 7-9 people, and will be accessed via a raised walkway into a large lounge area with kitchenette. This area will also include a sofa bed, and a large terrace will be accessible from this room. Raised sections of this floor will comprise two adults’ bedrooms, a children’s bedroom and shower room. A feature spiral staircase will provide access to a primary en-suite bedroom on the first floor – from the exterior, this will be themed as a LEGO tree in order to create the feeling of the accommodation being set at high level within the tree canopy without actually doing so.
Central Hub (Phases 2 and 3)
To the north-east of the phase 2 accommodation and south-east of phase 3 will be the central hub building. Due to the passage of time and detailed design process, it is now proposed to consolidate all the facilities/back of house space into one hub building rather than the two shown on the outline plans layout. This will be built in two phases, with a large outdoor terrace with covered seating due to be added as an extension to the building as part of Phase 3.
From the car park, guests will enter on the north-side of the single-storey building. This elevation will feature rockwork theming and flags, alluding to the ‘adventure’ theme of the development. Guests will enter into a reception, which is set to become the new main check-in and entrance for the entire holiday village, including phase 1, when it opens as part of phase 2. Upon check-in, guests will be provided with RFID access control keys to access the site and their accommodation. Off from the reception will be a retail area and coffee shop, along with access to a large open plan restaurant area. The phase 3 extension will provide additional seating during summer months and peak trading periods, with a lightweight steel canopy providing cover. A food and beverage concession space (also referred to as a VIP section) will also be added as part of the extension. In addition to the guest-facing areas, the building will also accommodate various back of house facilities including offices, a staff canteen, laundry and luggage storage.
The roof for the main part of the building will be a sedum green roof that features photovoltaic panels as part of the on site energy generation strategy, as well as large roof lights to bring natural light into the space. The roof on the north side of the building will also be a wildflower green roof, to provide guests with a softened view of the building on approach from the car park.
Situated to the west, directly outside the central hub building will be a covered entertainment space, which is anticipated will be largely for use during peak season. This canopy will be constructed from a timber pole structure and canvas system, stretched across a timber skeleton. Just south of this structure will be a large landscaped ‘amphitheatre’ area, which features an adventure play area at its heart, with the amphitheatre being built up with gabion walls formed in stonework that will incorporate ‘bug hotels’.
Car park (Phases 2 and 3)
The development will include a new car park to the north east of the site, which will be for use by guests staying in accommodation across all three phases. This is proposed as a porous surface car park, assumed to be similar to the recently resurfaced car park E, which will accommodate 440 cars. Within the development, close to the accessible variants of the different accommodation types, will be accessible parking spaces, along with an additional 14 accessible spaces within the main car park, close to the entrance of the central hub. The plans also detail the proposed route for a new land train, which will pick guests up from three stops located across the overall development and provide transportation to the theme park entrance.
Landscaping
The proposals are to plant mainly indigenous species to integrate the development with the surrounding forest by creating a series of woodland glades. In open areas fronting the accommodation, it is proposed to follow an ‘Enchanted Village’ theme similar to that at Alton Towers Resort. Narrow strips of mown grass are proposed adjacent to paths with longer grass, wildflowers and bulbs merging into the shrub and herbaceous planting along the frontages. In the ‘Ninjago’ themed area, the frontages will be planted with Japanese themed planting with soft landscaping that is similar to that which can be found in the NINJAGO themed area of the theme park.
The submission of these plans follows further community engagement in late 2023, with the updated proposals presented at a Residents’ Meeting and Public Exhibition in November 2023. Feedback from the latter is noted to have been positive, with 92% of respondents considering the proposed design and layout to be appropriate.
No timeframe is given in this latest application for when the LEGOLAND Windsor hope to commence construction on phases 2 and 3 of the holiday village. However, the long term plan suggested that construction on phase 2 would commence three years after the start of phase 1 construction, and phase 3 would begin construction two years after the start of work on phase 2. Nonetheless, given that this would have seen construction on phase 3 commencing in 2023, the Resort may now be working to an accelerated timetable in order to recover the time lost to the time-consuming appeals process.
Are you impressed by these plans for the phases 2 and 3 of the holiday village? Which type of accommodation would you most like to stay in? Let us know on our social media channels.
