After two years’ construction and 10 years’ conception, the UK’s fifth Center Parcs resort will open at Woburn Forest on Friday 6 June.

The Blackstone Group-owned resort operator confirmed the launch date this morning for the £250m complex, which will feature 625 lodges, a 75-bedroom hotel, Center Parcs’ largest Subtropical Swimming Paradise and an Aqua Sana spa.

As at other Center Parcs sites, the new resort will feature a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities, ranging from archery, canoeing and laser combat to nature activities, creative pursuits and a broad selection of sports.

“The opening of Woburn Forest means the Center Parcs experience is within easy reach of even more families in the UK and will bring something new toCenter Parcs with a number of exciting new concepts and designs,” said CEO of Center Parcs Martin Dalby.

Woburn Forest will become the nearest Center Parcs to the UK capital, sitting just a 50-minute train ride from central London by train. The company is eager to attract city-dwellers seeking a weekend or midweek break and the rare construction of a hotel – Elveden Forest is the only other site to feature one – was carried out with couples in mind, a Center Parcs spokesperson recently told Leisure Opportunities.

Center Parcs first announced that it was looking to open a fifth site back in 2004 and later the same year announced that it had entered into an agreement with the Bedford Estate to lease a site at Warren Wood, near Woburn.

The plans initially attracted opposition from local residents and councils, including what was then Mid Beds Council which rejected the company's initial application for the site in 2006.

For a behind-the-scenes feature on what you can expect at Woburn Forest, read the Q2 edition of Leisure Management magazine, available here.