A new planning application is to be submitted to redevelop Knoll House hotel in Studland, Dorset, with ambitions to transform it into a world-class luxury destination comparable to some of UK’s most prestigious country house hotels like The Newt and Chewton Glen.
Ahead of the submission, a pre-application planning exhibition was held for local residents at the hotel on Ferry Road on Wednesday 10th June 2026.
The plans were presented to local residents ahead of submitting a planning application
Third attempt to get planning permission
This is the third attempt by the hotel’s owners Kingfisher Resorts to get planning approval to rebuild the 1930s hotel, whose most famous guest was the children’s author Enid Blyton.
Now the plans have been reworked by architects AWW, reducing the amount of guest accommodation, scrapping the timeshare element, reducing the amount of glass on the frontage, and relocating the swimming pool away from an established oak tree.
The new buildings will be clad in muted colours to blend in with the setting
Director of AWW Mark Alker Stone unveiled the new plans
New proposals
- A 23 bedroom hotel
- 44 holiday apartments
- A new restaurant, bar and on-site spa facilities
Director of AWW Mark Alker Stone said:
“We’re really happy with the new plans, which reduce the scale and mass of the development and are more sympathetic to the surrounding environment.
“We’ve really embraced the local landscape setting with a much more muted external palette. The green roofs have been retained from the previous design so the buildings blend in with the area and become invisible from a long distance.
“The swimming pool has also been moved after feedback from the Dorset Council planners, who we have been working with more closely this time. It’s now near the location of the current swimming pool, away from trees, including a large oak.”
The current hotel is well loved but ageing and not easily accessible in places
The views from the hotel across to Old Harry are extremely special
Luxury resort with sea views
One of the key changes is the scrapping of the timeshare villas – one of the main concerns of the last planning application, which was refused on appeal.
Previously Kingfisher Resorts wanted to provide 30 hotel rooms, 18 apartments and 26 villas, but now the crescent of terraced villas has gone.
The new accommodation and facilities will function as a single luxury resort with sea views, within walking distance of the beautiful sandy Knoll Beach.
The second version of the hotel’s frontage (top) compared to the latest plans in muted tones with less glass, while still replicating the original shape of the hotel’s roof line (bottom)
The proposed layout of the new resort
“Boost the local economy and provide jobs”
Knoll House Hotel’s general manager Donovan Van Staden said:
“We’re excited to create a high quality facility on the Knoll House site, which will be a real magnet for visitors and also locals, who don’t really visit at the moment. They’ll want to visit for the food and drink and the luxury spa.
“Back in the 1950s, Knoll House was regarded as one of the best family friendly hotels in England and we want to restore that reputation. This will be a hotel which will attract international visitors.
“It will also be a place where local talent can build and establish a career in the hospitality sector, where they can put Knoll House on their CV and it will mean something. A key part of the objective is to boost the local economy and provide jobs in Purbeck.
“This is another attempt to get planning – we haven’t given up and that is a true testament to our determination to get it right for all the stakeholders.”
The formal application is in the process of being finalised, with the aim of submitting the plans to Dorset Council at the end of June 2026.
Once submitted, the full details will be available to view on the Dorset Council planning portal.
Knoll House Hotel’s general manager Donovan Van Staden is determined to restore the hotel’s reputation as a top class destination
The current hotel has plenty of charm and the hope is that the new hotel will retain its loyal visitors while attracting new customers
Further information
- More about Knoll House hotel
- View the previous planning application P/FUL/2022/06840 on the Dorset Council website
