Plans for seven sustainable eco glamping pods in the Penrith area could get the green light next week if councillors agree with a planning officer’s recommendation.
Members of Westmorland & Furness Council’s Eden local area planning committee are due to meet at the Redhills Conference Centre on Wednesday (June 10) to consider the planning application for land next to Raven Bridge Farm in Renwick.
As well as the glamping pods the application also requests planning permission for associated infrastructure, car parking and landscaping.
It is being placed before the committee because the parish council had objected and, according to the report, the proposal represents a reduction from a previously withdrawn scheme and has been redesigned to address earlier concerns relating to scale, layout, landscape impact, ecology and access.
It states: “The development is intended to support low‑impact rural tourism, particularly cyclists using the nearby Coast to Coast route, and incorporates a strong emphasis on sustainability, biodiversity enhancement and sensitive landscape integration.
“The site lies within open countryside, close to but outside the North Pennines National Landscape. As such, the application has been carefully assessed against national and local planning policies.”
It is recommended that planning permission be granted subject to conditions and the application was deferred at the previous meeting of the planning committee to allow Kirkoswald Parish Council additional time to prepare and present their representation to members.
The parish council’s objections include: highway safety and traffic; biodiversity and landscape; amenity impacts; concerns about light pollution affecting dark skies in the area; drainage and nutrient neutrality; and design and character.
According to the report the application seeks full planning permission for a small-scale eco-tourism development comprising: seven self-contained glamping pods; a new vehicular access and parking/service area; associated landscaping and ecological enhancements; and plant, solar battery store and back-up generator building.
It states: “The scheme represents a reduction from a previously withdrawn proposal and has been redesigned to address earlier concerns.
“The pods are modest in scale, single-storey structures with flat biosolar roofs and timber cladding, designed to integrate with the rural landscape. Each unit would provide accommodation for up to four people.”
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