A Yorkshire Dales bike centre has submitted ambitious expansion plans.
The £1m scheme would see the Dales Bike Centre, in Fremington, near Reeth, extend and improve the café, add an additional eight en-suite guest rooms, extend bike hire storage and provision, re-site and extend car parking, and improve access to the centre from the road.
A proposed single storey cafe building designed to extend indoor seating capacity to 70 would incorporate a grass roof, glass front elevation and glass link to their current cafe building.
A second building primarily expands the accommodation offered by the centre with five double/twin en-suite rooms and three family rooms, all en-suite.
Owners Stuart and Brenda Price say the room layouts have been thoughtfully designed specifically with cyclists in mind.
A third building would house the guests secure bike store and sauna along with toilets and showers for day visitors exploring Swaledale by bike.
The plans also involve changing access and moving the parking away from the current buildings to allow a ‘cycle/pedestrian only’ courtyard giving an open plan feel to the centre.
The owners have worked with Richmond architects Harris Irwin Associates and say they have paid careful attention to the buildings’ design, layout and screening to minimise visual impact.
Larger hire bike storage facilities to allow expansion of hire bike range and improve efficiency is seen as crucial to the success of the centre and the trail.
It is expected to create a further five full time jobs at Dales Bike Centre and predicted to have a wider positive economic benefit to other local businesses.
Stuart and Brenda Price told Richmondshire Today that the Dales Bike Centre was ideally placed as the gateway to access the new Swale Trail – the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s soon to open 12km off road cycle route.
They added: “We are super excited about the project, 9 years ago when we opened we never envisaged the ride we’d set out on.
“Dales Bike Centre was an entirely original concept when we initially developed the idea. It’s vital that as a business we continue to move with times keeping up to date with the market and customers expectations.
“We really hope the Yorkshire Dales National Park share our vision.”
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Good luck to you both – you deserve to have this vision appreciated by the NP as it attracts so many new cycling visitors to the area. As a non- cyclist I also appreciate the stop for soup/drinks/cake whilst out walking and always recommend you to friends and visitors.
Great venture..good luck to all
Lets hope it’s not another great idea to be scuppered by the narrow minded idiots at Yorkshire Dales National Park that want to see Swaledale turned into a museum!
Cycling needs supporting throughout the dales, not just mountain biking but decent cycle locking points, routes and safe junctions are a must and will encourage more journeys by bike. This initiative should be supported