A GOLF club is set to create around 30 new jobs after building a 26-room hotel and high end restaurant.

Oak Royal Golf and Country Club in Withnell is investing more than £2M in a project to expand its facilities at the nine-hole golf course, which only opened in 2007.

The Lark Hill restaurant, which opens in early July, will have room for around 80 diners with a terrace overlooking the Lancashire hills.

The four star quality hotel will then open in August.

The golf club was built by businessman Charles Downes, who started his farming business with a 25 acre smallholding on the land 50 years ago.

Mr Downes re-invested in to the farm, doubling its size before getting into property investment, forming Hoghton Leisure Ltd and Alder Construction before building the golf club on the farm to diversify even further.

Hotel manager Kenny Arnott said the intention was to attract those looking for a golf retreat, to host weddings and functions and to attract people for great food in an area of natural beauty.

He said: "The restaurant and hotel is a bold investment and we will be providing high quality food and accommodation in terrific surroundings.

"We will be recruiting around 30 staff and our whole enterprise will be built on the quality of our service.

"The three-storey hotel is built upon the existing golf club house, and we believe it is in keeping with the natural charm of the area.

"It's our belief that there are very few others offering this type of accommodation and food in the area.

"The only factor in the hotel facilities not being five-star quality is that we will not have swimming pool and spa facilities."

The hotel's 26 rooms include three suites, all will have WiFi, air-conditioning and flat screen televisions.

The restaurant is named after Lark Hill, a nearby landmark visible from the first floor dining room.

Part of the refurbishment is a separate glass-bordered walkway from the car park so diners do not have to enter through the golf club reception.

The head chef a Lark Hill is Peter McCarthy, who previously worked at the Eagle and Child gastropub in Ramsbottom.

He said the menu would include 'classics with a twist' such as Lancashire hot pot.

He added that one dish he was looking forward to serving would be trout taken from the country club's three fishing lakes served with Morecambe Bay shrimps.