Case Study - South Meadows

A substantial leisure development in Northumberland is proving the capability of Calor to power its heating requirements.

South Meadows is an established holiday location near the village of Belford. The camping and caravan site is surrounded by beautiful countryside, beaches and historic castles and has built up a loyal customer base.

The site has its own bluebell wood and its facilities have run on Calor LPG since 1999. Now South Meadows Leisure has embarked on the construction of a major, innovative project that will create one of the foremost holiday villages in the UK.

The first of a proposed 55 purpose designed log built lodges are being constructed in the first phase of a development that will boast its own trout lake, restaurant, gymnasium, swimming pool and sports facility.

Importantly, a sustainable approach and a commitment to the local community are at the heart of the project, which, says manager Colin Carr, makes Calor a natural supplier. ‘We’ve got a long standing relationship with Calor,’ he says. Owner George McLaren-Brown is a long established local farmer and Belgian blue cattle breeder who saw the potential of his long-held dream to allow him to diversify and to create a unique leisure facility, designed to the highest standards.

Holiday homes at South Meadows will be available for outright purchase, or half, third or quarter share. Holiday bonds will also be available and a number of the homes will be kept by South Meadows as holiday lets for one or two week breaks.

The new lodges are supplied by Finnish specialist Honka, who worked with South Meadows Leisure to produce six bespoke designs. Built from pine grown in sustainable forests in northern Finland, the lodges arrive in kit form and are erected on site.

A world away from the spartan image offered by traditional log cabins, South Meadows’ new log lodges are designed with comfort in mind. A key feature of the lodges at South Meadows is the availability of special features that can be fitted according to clients’ preferences.

Each of the six lodge designs is marketed in its own price bracket with quality features such as fitted kitchens and cast iron ‘real flame’ range fires. But clients can specify their own refinements for an extra amount - whether it’s a sauna, a Clive Christian kitchen, a Phillipe Starck bathroom or even a jetty leading onto the trout lake. Weather conditions at South Meadows are moderate and the area is renowned as an attractive holiday destination.

The site is ideally situated mid way between Edinburgh and Newcastle, giving residents easy access to Kielder Water, the Cheviot National Park, and the Scottish Borders. Alnwick Castle, famed for its film appearances as Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is only a few miles away. Lindisfarne - Holy Island - is only 20 minutes’ drive from the site.

Guests will be able to order their food, newspapers, bread and milk, at the site, for delivery at their lodge from the local shops. Indeed, this service, benefiting local businesses, is one example of South Meadows Leisure’s approach to customer satisfaction. ‘We want people to leave South Meadows feeling that they’ve had a fantastic time,’ says Colin Carr. This approach makes for an impressive package of customer support.

South Meadows has an existing secure storage facility for cars, caravans and camper vans. Vehicles are taken out of storage, checked over and valeted in readiness for guests’ arrival. ‘The idea is that you can fly to Newcastle Airport, where we’ll collect you,’ adds Colin. ‘When you arrive, your lodge has been cleaned, your fridge is stocked with your food order from the local shop, and your car is parked ready outside. You’ve got everything you need to get started straight away on your long weekend or holiday.’

As part of this philosophy, South Meadows Leisure has given a commitment that the proposed new sports facilities and swimming pool, when built, will be available for use by the local community. In addition, Colin is keen to develop the business relationship already established with local shops and help to sustain the local economy. The nearby village of Belford provides most of the local services required by visitors to South Meadows, including a variety of village shops, a post office and several traditional pubs.

The new development, says Colin Carr, will help boost the local economy while sustaining existing community services. ‘We gave a commitment from the outset that we would not aim to compete with existing local facilities,’ he says. ‘We made the decision not to have a site shop - we would prefer our guests to shop in the village,’ he adds. ‘Similarly we are not going to have a pub or drinking bar on site. Guests will be able to drink with a meal in our new restaurant, but we don’t want to compete directly with Belford’s existing pubs.

South Meadows Leisure’s dedication to customer service made the choice of Calor as its fuel supplier a natural one, says Colin Carr. ‘We demand service and reliability,’ he says. ‘We were confident about Calor as we’ve been a customer for over five years through our existing caravan site. Calor LPG powers most of our facilities - the offices, the shower block and the restaurant - and every caravan uses Calor cylinders. ‘When it came to bulk LPG supplies for the new development, that’s where Calor really reassured us about their capability and their delivery network,’ he adds. ‘We just can’t tolerate the prospect of one of the lodges running out of gas as it would ruin someone’s holiday and deeply embarrass us as a customer focused organisation.

Each of the proposed 55 new lodges will have its own underground Calor LPG bulk tank. Calor’s predictive top up system will see regular deliveries based on consumption to ensure that the lodges should not run out of gas. ‘We’re very pleased with the underground tanks, as we can preserve the visual aspects of the site,’ adds Colin. ‘Calor’s delivery system removes the need us to monitor the tanks and order the gas and our experience of their reliable delivery service gives us peace of mind.’ South Meadows is an excellent example of our capability,’ says Calor’s Barry Ohrman. ‘It’s a major heating project where reliability paramount, and we’ve proven our ability to deliver. Not only are numerous lodges being heated by Calor LPG, but the fuel will also power all the facilities on site - the restaurant, swimming pool and the sports hall.

Visitors the site will enjoy all the benefits mains gas despite being located in a non-mains gas area. ‘We’re seeing huge interest from architects, developers and contractors in the use of Calor LPG for major heating systems,’ adds Barry. ‘It’s yet another illustration that, whatever the size or the complexity of the heating project, Calor can deliver.’

For information on the new development, visit www.southmeadow.co.uk