Installing 5 glamping pods and construction of kitchen/toilet facilities block along with a car park and change of use of lake from agricultural to tourism
Local Member: Councillor Simon Glyn
Minutes:
A full application to install 5
glamping pods and construction of kitchen/toilet facilities block along with a
car park and change of use of lake from agricultural to tourism.
(a)
The Senior Development Control Officer
elaborated on the background to the application, noting that it involved
installing five ‘glamping’ pods and a compost toilet along with the
construction of a kitchen/toilets facilities block and a parking provision on
land in Tŷ Bwlcyn, Dinas. It was also requested to change the use
of the existing agricultural lake to tourist use so that visitors to the site
could use it for fishing and leisure. The pods would be of timber construction
and installed on a field to the north-east of the lake and located around the
wooded boundaries of the field. The building and the car park would be
located at the bottom of a slope in close proximity to holiday cottages in the
ownership of Tŷ Bwlcyn
and it was proposed to improve the existing footpath to link the parking with
the field where the pods were located. It was proposed to connect to the
existing septic tank which was on the site.
The site was situated in open countryside and within an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty. It was
proposed to re-establish the existing unused access to the unclassified road as
an entrance to the development and it would be widened and the visibility would
be improved.
In terms of the principle of the development, it was noted that Policy
D19 permitted proposals to develop new touring caravan sites and camping sites
and new touring units provided they conformed to all of the noted criteria. Amongst them was the need that the design,
lay-out and appearance of the development should be of a high standard and that
it was located in an unobtrusive location.
Applications for pods were considered under the touring caravans policy as they were mobile/camping units to all
intents and purposes. They would be mobile units and it would be possible to
move them comparatively easily around the field. It was believed that the
field in question would be suitable for such a development as there was higher
ground to the rear and a thick layer of vegetation around the boundaries which
meant that they would be concealed and out of sight of the public and the
nearest houses. It was not foreseen that there would be a substantial increase
in traffic as a consequence of the application, considering the small scale of
the proposal and it was likely that the traffic would be restricted to cars and
bicycles, rather than towing vehicles as would be usual for touring caravan
sites. As the aim was to re-establish the existing access to an unclassified
road, planning permission was not required and it could be improved without
causing significant harm to landscape features. It was considered that the
proposal complied with criterion 2 of policy D19 of the GUDP.
It was proposed to locate the pods in the field for the holiday season
only and the applicant noted that it was proposed to remove them either to a
concealed corner of the field or to the car park over the winter.
Having weighed up the
proposal against the relevant policies, it was considered that the principle of
establishing a five pod ‘glamping’ site, erecting a facilities building and
associated work was acceptable in this unobtrusive site. It was considered that
the proposal complied with the policies discussed above, and was therefore
acceptable to be approved with relevant planning conditions.
(b)
It was proposed and seconded to approve the
application.
(c)
During the discussion the following main points
were noted:
·
the Government encouraged such facilities and it
was to be welcomed in Gwynedd but disappointment was expressed that the
provision was considered under the policy of touring caravans and should not a
unique policy be established for ‘glamping’ provision because the pods were not
moveable
·
such a provision blended into the landscape
better than caravans but there was concern in terms of the current application
before the committee regarding the safety of children in terms of use of the
lake
(ch) In response to the above observations, the
Development Control Manager explained that:
·
in terms of the policy, the provision was
considered as comparative to touring caravans but it could also include a tepee
provision
·
it was noted that relevant policy consideration had
been established as the Supplementary Planning Guidance: Holiday Accommodation had been adopted by the
Council and dealt with ‘glamping’
·
The safety of the users would be the
responsibility of the site operator
Resolved: To approve with the
following conditions:
1. Commence within five
years
2. In accordance with
submitted plans
3. Five
pods only to be sited in the places shown only unless they are stored
4. Restricted
to a specific holiday period - 1 March – 31 October and then they must be
removed to the agreed storage area
5. Holiday
units only and a register must be kept
6. The
storage location must be agreed prior to commencing any part of the permitted
development
7. The
roof of the building to be of a grey colour
8. Finish
of the building to be agreed
9. Landscaping
10. Road
conditions
11. The lake to be used for the residents of the pods /holiday cottages
only and not open to the public or for any other business use.
Note: Licence
Supporting documents: