PLANS FOR £60million GOLF RESORT DEVELOPMENT IN ANGUS

NEWS RELEASE 

A £60m Scottish hotel golf development has secured backing from a prestigious international hotel brand to create the first five star resort in the Angus region.

MAP property and developments (mappld) has signed a deal with Wyndham Hotel Group to create the company’s first namesake Wyndham-branded hotel in Scotland to be called Wyndham Grand The Angus. 

The luxury resort to be located inland near Broughty Ferry will feature a five-star hotel with spa, leisure facilities and lodges, alongside a signature Darren Clarke 18-hole championship golf course, designed directly by the reigning Open Champion with one of Scotland’s most high profile golf course architects, Oldmeldrum-born Graeme Webster (pictured above).
PRIVATE HOUSING

The plans also include a golf club, golf academy and some private residential housing.

Wyndham Grand The Angus will be constructed on a prime elevated position adjacent to the Forbes of Kingennie Country Resort, owned by local entrepreneur Mike Forbes, who worked with Angus and Tayside Council for two years to develop the vision and secure planning consent in November 2010.

Mappld has now invested fully in the project and is moving the development forward to finalise the plans with an aim to begin initial construction work in Spring 2013.  The project is estimated for completion in 2015.

Donald Paterson, Group Managing Director of MAP Property and Leisure Development Group, said: “We are thrilled to be finally developing this vision to create an outstanding resort in Angus which will bring enormous economic benefits to the area for many years to come.  From the construction and development phase this project will provide hundreds of employment opportunities.

“With the backing of an Open champion and set in such a prime location, Wyndham Grand The Angus with its world-class golf course will be a premier destination which will attract visitors from across the globe and, in turn, boost tourism to Angus and the surrounding area.”

Wyndham Grand The Angus joins the Wyndham Grand Collection, an ensemble of distinguished hotels within the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand that represent one-of-a-kind experiences in key destinations with refined accommodations, attentive service and relaxed surroundings.   Wyndham Hotel Group is the world’s

largest hotel company with more than 7,150 hotels across the world, including 98 within the upscale Wyndham Hotels and Resorts brand.

OUTSTANDING ADDITION

Joel Goldman, Wyndham Hotel Group Vice President of Development for the UK and Western Europe, said: “Expanding our namesake brand within Europe, Middle East and Africa is an integral part of Wyndham Hotel Group’s overall growth strategy and this newest property will serve as an outstanding addition to the collection.

 “Scotland is a world-renowned golfing destination and this new resort will sit at the epicentre of Scottish golf, just a few miles from Carnoustie and near St Andrews and Gleneagles. We believe that the five-star Wyndham Grand The Angus will offer unrivalled accommodation and service for the area, with excellent leisure and business facilities for golfers and non-golfers alike.”

Forbes of Kingennie owner, Mr Forbes said: “I am delighted to have secured the input of this exceptional team who will now take Wyndham Grand The Angus forward through the final planning stage and detailed design and turn our vision into a reality. 

“These are exciting times for Dundee and Angus, which is enjoying unparalleled investment and redevelopment.  The addition of a luxury five-star resort and championship golf course can only enhance our region’s reputation and put us firmly on the tourism map.”

Open Champion Darren Clarke said: “I first had the good fortune to experience Kingennie, the location for Wyndham Grand The Angus, during the Open at Carnoustie in 2007, and was immediately captivated by the potential of the landscape for a world-class championship golf course.

"Working with Mike Forbes and the talented Team Niblick golf course architects, we took that vision and laid the plans for what promises to be an outstanding golfing experience and world-leading resort. 

“I am delighted to see that vision taking another step forward with the backing of the MAP property and leisure developments and Wyndham Hotel Group and look forward to striking the first ball in the not too distant future.”

Wyndham Grand The Angus is set to create significant employment opportunities during both the construction and operational phases of the facility. 
HOTEL WILL HAVE 187 BEDROOMS

Economic reports estimate that the resort will increase tourism in the area by 50 per cent by 2015, and bring around £30m worth of tourism to Scotland.

In addition to the Darren Clarke signature 18-hole championship golf course, Wyndham Grand The Angus will include 187 guest bedrooms, spa and leisure facilities, gourmet restaurant, private dining and bars, along with conference and banqueting suites. There will also be 10 two-bed luxury lodges.

For more information, please go to www.the-angus.com

Issued by Frasermedia Ltd on behalf of MAP Property & Leisure Developments