Tiny UK island open to day visitors reveals plans for brand new 43-bed hotel
INCREDIBLE plans have been revealed for a 43-bed hotel to be built on a tiny UK island.
Drake’s Island is situated just south of Plymouth in the Plymouth Sound and now proposals have been launched to turn it into a fancy holiday resort.
Morgan Phillips purchased the island in 2019 and had ambitious plans to turn the land into a holiday resort.
He then planned to build a large museum, a heritage site, and a well-being resort centre on the island.
Several environmental and marine projects could also flourish on the tiny island.
However, the tiny island, which was bought for £6million, is now up in the market for sale – and is being dubbed as a place with “many potential alternative uses”.
Ali Rana, head of national investment at commercial property marketer Carter Jona, told Plymouth Live: “Morgan has taken it as far as he can and it is time for someone else to progress the future of the island.”
According to the island’s website, plans were to build a luxury wedding venue, a conference centre and an education centre.
The Drake’s Island website states: “Our plans are centred around our committed desire to regenerate Drake’s Island and inject a new lease of life into the existing historic buildings.
“The beauty and heritage of the resort lends itself to a best-in-class development to take full advantage of its outstanding position.
The development isn’t expected to be complete until 2027, and will cost around £22m to complete.
It is understood that plans for the island’s overhaul still stand in place despite it being up for sale in the market.
Day trippers heading onto the island can book a guided tour to learn about the island’s history, wildlife and paranormal activities.
Drake’s Island isn’t the only UK venue hoping to be overhauled in the coming years.
A theme park that has been dubbed the ‘UK Disneyland’ is scheduled to open in 2025 – even though plans were scaled back last December.
And one tiny island in Scotland has been dubbed a hidden gem.
Meanwhile, a tiny island found inside a busy UK city opened to public last month.
Found on the River Thames in Twickenham, Eel Pie Island is home to around 120 people.
The name is believed to have come from the eel pies, which were served on the island back in the 19th century.
The tiny island is mainly used by artists living there, including painters, potters and sculptors.
It’s not an easy place to visit because tourists and holidaymakers are banned from stepping foot on the island.
However, the artists open their studios to the public on set days throughout the year.
Other little-known islands to visit in the UK
Staycations are becoming increasingly popular with Brits who aren't keen on forking out for flights and hotels abroad, and luckily enough there are plenty of little-known islands to visit.
- Caldey Island, which lies just off the coast of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, is owned by monks and is home to a grand monastery. The island welcomes daytrippers from Easter until the end of October, but it’s closed to visitors on Sundays.
- Foulness Island, which sits just off the coast of Essex, is home to 150 residents. Brit holidaymakers can visit the English island on the first Sunday of every month. To step foot on the island, visitors will need to complete a registration form on the Foulness Island Heritage Centre website before arriving.
- During World War II, Cramond Island was fortified in preparation for an enemy invasion. While it was left unscathed at the end of the conflict, it was abandoned. Today the island, just outside of Edinburgh, remains as it was left all those years ago – waiting for a war that never arrived.