Autumn spa launch for Yorkshire's Coniston Hotel

Yorkshire’s Coniston Hotel is gearing up to open a 16,500sq ft spa this autumn.

The Coniston Spa will be located next to the hotel and will house a 15m swimming pool, thermal suite, gym, dance studio, treatment rooms, relaxation and dining areas, and an outdoor spa pool and terrace, with views over the 24-acre lake and the Yorkshire Dales countryside.

Spa consultant Nicki Kurran, who has previously worked with Champneys and The Dorchester, is working on the project, and East Lancashire-based Barnfield Construction has been appointed main contractor to deliver the build, which began this week. The spa has received funding from Yorkshire Bank.

Coniston Hotel said the spa will create at least 35 new jobs. It will be open to hotel guests and day visitors. It will also offer limited memberships, which it will begin selling this spring.  

The hotel’s chairman Michael Bannister said, “It’s going to be an exciting 2015 for all involved in the development of the spa and the hotel, and we’re expecting that before the end of the year we will have created a fantastic new facility for our hotel guests and local residents, and one which will not only create many new jobs but will bring more visitors to this part of the Dales for years to come.”

The four-star hotel and its grounds form part of the Coniston Estate, which has been home to the Bannister family for more than 40 years. 

The family said the health focus of the spa would complement the existing countryside activities and sports available on the estate, which include clay pigeon shooting, archery, falconry, fishing, walks and cycling trails.