PLANS for a prestigious 120-room hotel and conference centre on the historic Bowood Estate have been given the go-ahead, despite vigorous protests from English Heritage and the Garden History Society.

The Marquis of Lansdowne welcomed the decision, made by the area development control committee last Wednesday.

"Obviously obtaining planning permission for the hotel is a major step forward in our plans to develop Bowood's position as one of the most prestigious golfing venues in Britain and provide North Wiltshire with a top hotel and conference venue," said Lord Lansdowne, whose family has owned Bowood for almost 250 years.

"I am confident that we will be able to enter a partnership with one of the leading hotel operators who will see Bowood as a flagship venue.

"Our long-term plan has always been to build a quality hotel alongside the golf course."

The hotel complete with restaurants and health and leisure facilities is expected to bring with it more than 100 jobs, and could create three times as many indirectly.

It would be built on land by the golf course and off the Devizes road, on the gently sloping northern side of Orchard Paddock.

The existing parking area would be extended within the woodland to provide an extra 350 spaces, with access via the Golden Gate.

But planners had to balance the economic gains with fierce opposition from historic bodies such as English Heritage.

Bowood Park, covering 2,000 acres, was designed by Capability Brown in the 1760s, a decade after the Shelburne family bought the property.

The English Heritage advisory committee was afraid the new hotel would damage the Grade I listed landscape, recognised as one the finest created by Capability Brown.

English Heritage was also worried the development would spoil views of Bowood House and the Grade I listed mausoleum.

The Garden History Society thought the hotel would damage a landscape of outstanding importance.

They reported to the committee: "We see no justification for a building of this enormous size in a Grade I landscape, the proposed building does not sit comfortably in the landscape, more importantly its size dwarfs the existing buildings in the valley."

The Wiltshire Gardens Trust warned the district council would be betraying its responsibility to protect the nationally important landscape if it permitted the development.

However, Calne Without Parish Council was in favour of the plan and Great Western Commerce and Enterprise said the scheme would bring money and jobs to the area.

"Approval of the plans follows several months of discussions with local planning officers to ensure the development provides significant economic benefits for North Wiltshire, while ensuring the long-term future of Bowood," said Lord Lansdowne.

Another part of the strategy to improve the golf course ranked in the top ten in the UK will include adding nine more holes to the current 18.

Plans for the course expansion have been submitted to the district council.

Bowood Golf and Country Club opened in 1992, three years after planning permission was granted.

Outline plans for a hotel were approved at the same time but were shelved because of the economic downturn in the early 1990s.

Initially the planning application was deferred by the Secretary of State, but the district council was later given the right to decide on the application