The owners of an iconic country house-turned-hotel have unveiled plans for an ambitious expansion including holiday lodges, a spa and a Grand Designs-style treehouse.

Bosses at the 17th-century Broome Park in Barham, near Canterbury, want to “make the venue desirable all year round” to attract more people to the county.

They also plan to restore a Grade II*-listed 1900s Italian garden that has “fallen into ruin”, at a cost of £1 million.

But in order to fund it, a development of 14 homes is proposed in a secluded area of the picturesque grounds, which also host a golf course.

A planning application for the wider project is set to be lodged in the coming months.

The expansion would include a spa, 12 extra hotel rooms, 14 holiday lodges, a new golf clubhouse with a restaurant, and an eye-catching treehouse guests can stay in.

General manager Pete Farrow explained: “The focus of it is to make the venue desirable all year round.

“People have got to have a reason to come. The spa is key to that.

“We’re going to have double treatment rooms and single ones, an outdoor natural swimming pool and a space where people can relax or get food and drink.

“We want to bring people into Kent, and that’s what building the spa and everything is about.”

The impressive one-bed treehouse would be built in woodland with a view of the main house.

Grade I-listed Broome Park also has an 18-hole course and a driving range, but bosses want to make it “more than a golf club”.

Paul Cummins is the director of Bonds Group, the Hong Kong-based company that owns the venue.

“It’s so much more than just that,” he said.

“We want to provide something different and diversify the accommodation.

“The idea is we end up with an integrated resort, with a proper golf club, and become the go-to hotel in the Canterbury area.”

As part of the plans, an “ugly” 1970s building that currently serves as a space for golfers would be torn down and replaced.

The new clubhouse would have a restaurant with a balcony overlooking the course.

Broome Park also features a loggia, ornaments, statues, walls and a carefully manicured topiary, built in 1911.

The garden was designed by then-owner Lord Kitchener, who was secretary of state for war from 1914-1916, and featured on the famous ‘Britons, Lord Kitchener Wants You’ army recruitment posters.

He died in action on HMS Hampshire after it sank off the coast of Scotland.

Mr Cummins, 52, added: “No one's spent any money on [the gardens].

“It's going to cost about a million pounds to rebuild, right, and commercially it makes no sense.

“So the idea is to build some housing that then gives us sufficient money to fund at least part of that rebuild.

“It's new building to save something historic.”

The houses would be built on a patch of woodland to the north of the main building, with five allocated as social housing.

Mr Cummins added: “I have discussed it with the neighbours and have had pretty positive feedback.

“It's worth the compromise in our opinion.”

Bonds Group purchased the 17th Century manor house and gardens in 2017.

Company owner and history buff Ason Chan fell in love with the property as it was Kitchener’s home.

“It’s got a real place in his heart,” Mr Cummins explained, adding: “He doesn’t come to the UK often but when he does he stays here.

“I think it's probably fair to say we didn't buy it to make money, but we would like to get to the point where it's making enough to be sustainable, to safeguard its future.

“The last couple of years have been really tough post-Covid and, more importantly, costs have gone through the roof. Utility costs are just insane.

“We really struggle to make money during the off-weeks.

“We’re busy in summer, but you build a spa and it gives people a reason to come all year round.

“If we can get to the point where we're breaking even the rest of the time and in the hotter months we can make some money to fund it all, that would be great.”

Broome Park was built in 1638 and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Carolean architecture in England.

The estate was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence and used as a military hospital in the Second World War.

In the months leading up to D-Day, Broome Park was a garrison for the Canadian army tank regiment with tanks rumoured to still be buried under the current golf course.

In the 1970s it was used as a timeshare for visiting Americans and other tourists.