New £1m pool to make waves at Clacton holiday park

One of Clacton’s largest and most popular holiday parks, Seawick in St Osyth, is to splash £1m this winter on a prestigious new swimming pool complex for its guests.

Owners of the park, Park Holidays UK, says the development will help further reinforce Clacton’s reputation as a family-friendly four season holiday destination.

It’s envisaged that the new pool complex, complete with flumes and new changing areas, will be ready for the park’s re-opening in March next year after its one month winter closure.

Park Holidays UK says the pool will benefit not just the local economy but also the environment – for its heating will be provided by a super-efficient biomass boiler.

Much more environmentally friendly than conventional heating systems, the green energy boiler will be fuelled by wood pellets and reduce substantially the park’s carbon emissions.

Seawick’s new pool will complete a series of new developments at the park this year which have included the opening in summer of a new £1.8m entertainment complex.

Built by mainly Essex-based contractors, the 1,500 square metres building can seat 400 people and houses a host of high-tech equipment to allow West End standard shows to be mounted.

Just the stage lighting alone, says the company, cost in excess of £30,000 and includes a huge computer-controlled LED display to provide a thrilling backdrop to performances.

But the complex isn’t just about song and dance, for it also features Seawick’s sleek new reception area where families will check in and can be helped by staff to enjoy their stay.

There’s also a mini-supermarket which includes locally-sourced produce, and a restaurant serving meals throughout the day and evening with views of the stage area.

Park Holidays UK has also spent £100,000 on equipping the complex’s arcade area with the latest video games and other entertainment technologies from across the world.

Outside, a newly built patio area provides barbecues, super-size TV screens, seating and tables.

According to Park Holidays UK director Tony Clish, the decision to invest substantially in Seawick is a reflection of the confidence the company has in the park’s future:

“Seawick has long been one of the most popular of our twenty-six parks, and we are determined to ensure it continues offering guests the best possible experience,” he said.

“The park provides more than six hundred caravan holiday homes and lodges, some privately owned and other available to rent, so there’s always a great holiday atmosphere.

“Park Holidays UK is especially well known for the quality of our free entertainment, and we spend literally millions each year securing first-class acts to perform.

“Now at Seawick we have a truly professional venue in which to welcome them and our holiday guests, and the prospect of a superb new pool complex now in the making.

“I am confident that our investment will help attract even more visitors to Clacton in the future, and this will also benefit the many other businesses in this part of Essex which rely on tourism.

“In addition, the complex offers a facility at the park which isn’t weather dependent, so it’s likely to draw visitors right throughout the eleven months of the year we are open.

“We’re immensely proud of this new project, and what it means for Clacton – and give a big thank-you to our staff for their role in helping to make Seawick such a great holiday centre,” said Tony.

But although guests will soon be plunging into one of the east coast’s most modern pools, there is also good news for lovers of tradition outdoor bathing.

That’s because Seawick’s popular heated lido pool has been preserved together with its sunbathing area, ready for what the park hopes will be a scorching summer next year.

There is more information about the company and Seawick at www.ParkHolidays.com