£500m Suffolk staycation resort brings David Church and Robert Cook on board as advisors

Suffolk is set to be the home of a new £500m staycation resort featuring year-round winter and water sports, alongside a premium hotel and eco-friendly self-catering lodges.

Industry veterans David Church and Robert Cook have joined the project as board advisors to the developer Valley Ridge Holdings, which has acquired a 284-acre site in the county.

The project is expected to attract 1.4 million visitors each year from when it opens in 2023/24.

Valley Ridge will feature a 350-bedroom four-star hotel, as well as a range of self-catering accommodation, including eco-friendly wooden lodges. The resort will be home to one of the UK’s largest indoor ski slopes, a water park, spa, cinema, and extensive food, beverage and retail offering.

Cameron Ogden, director of Valley Ridge Holdings, said: “The Valley Ridge resort will be a leader in its field and having David and Robert join the team is the best reflection of this. They are highly experienced in their fields and bring a stellar track record in delivering major projects. I look forward to working with them to create a vibrant new destination that caters for a wide range of modern needs.”

Cook is the chief executive of TGI Fridays Group, having previously been chief executive of Virgin Active UK as well as leading a number of key hotel brands including De Vere Village Urban Resorts and Malmaison. Meanwhile, Church has advised of a number of large real estate transactions including the £1b central London Grange hotel deal in 2019 and the £1.7b sale of the Broadgate office and retail complex in London.

Church said the company aims to build a “resilient business that meets changing consumer demand”.

“Valley Ridge represents a tremendous opportunity to create a very special destination, one of very few like it in the UK, in a supply-constrained market,” he said. “I am very excited to support the Valley Ridge team on the delivery of this project and to lend my experience in real estate finance to the board.”

Cook added: “The vision for Valley Ridge is that of a truly differentiated destination resort. The combination of sport, fitness and wellbeing coupled with a thoughtful and relevant culinary offering to suit all tastes is exceptional. The quality of accommodation and ease of access will ensure that Valley Ridge will become the go-to for UK staycations.”