A NEW children’s adventure holiday centre on the site of a former hotel will create almost 200 jobs.

A planning application has been submitted by PGL Travel to transform the former Liddington Hotel and Zurich Training Centre into what it claims will be Europe’s leading outdoor education and activity centre.

About 100 jobs will be on offer when the centre opens in the spring, with about 180 positions created eventually.

The Ross-on-Wye based company is planning to use the 150 acres of grounds, woodland, lakes, activity zones and 11 football pitches, along with the existing 192 en suite bedrooms, to cater for school groups from the Thames Valley, the Midlands and south west.

According to PGL chief executive, Martin Davies the company will be able to cater for about 50 per cent of English primary schools from the site.

He said: “The PGL Liddington site affords us the opportunity to develop an industry-leading centre, providing first class facilities for our young guests, while allowing us to build on the considerable community involvement already existing on the site.”

The centre will initially be able to cater for 400 children but the company’s plan is to eventually double the capacity.

The company held its first recruitment open day on the site at the end of November with more than 175 potential applicants attending to discuss opportunities with the company’s recruitment officers.

For more details go to www.pgl.co.uk/jobsatliddington.

The application was submitted by Old Town-based DPDS Consulting Group in November.

It is anticipated that a decision will be made in February and, subject to the necessary approvals from Swindon Council, should open in late spring 2010.

The building was originally built as a training centre in 1991 but was transformed into a traditional hotel last year. The owners of the hotel went into administration in February.