Derbyshire glamping site plans set to be thrown out

The scheme, from farmer Phil Kerry, would see land at Turlowfields Lane between Atlow and Hognaston, turned into a glamping site.

This is the same site at which Mr Kerry was previously tried and failed to carry out plans for a rabbit farm and subsequently an alpaca farm.

Now Derbyshire Dales District Council is set to reject the third of Mr Kerry’s plans, with officials saying the plot is too remote, in the open countryside, and inaccessible by public transport, being “wholly reliant” on cars. A decision will be made at a meeting on Tuesday, April 11.

Hognaston Parish Council has objected to the plans, saying the claim from the site owner that he is “diversifying” is “misleading” because “there is currently no working farm on the site”.

It says: “The area is already facing the threat of over-commercialisation. The development of this site for tourism would set a precedent for future applications in what is a tranquil, rural setting.

“The site appears to be overdeveloped and overcrowded. The site is not big enough for the number of proposed accommodation plots. The development of a tourist site this close to Hognaston will increase traffic volumes in and around the village.

“Better screening of the site is needed using more trees and bushes. The site will be clearly seen from the roadside, particularly overlooking the car park area. This will detract from the rural, countryside setting in which the field is located.”

The district council’s tree and landscape officer has raised concerns over the view of the proposed glamping site from the roadside, saying: “There is potential for the proposals to have a significant impact on the visual amenity of the landscape.”

Six objection letters have been submitted by residents opposing the plans, saying the proposals would increase traffic, are in an unsustainable location, would harm the landscape and impact on biodiversity.

Council planners say plans for sites in the open countryside for tourism purposes must provide that they are sustainable and that the identified need is not already met by existing facilities. In the open countryside, this is preferred through the reuse of existing buildings or farm diversification.

Officials write: “The site is approximately a 30-minute walk from Hognaston and a 25 minute walk from Hulland Ward along country lanes with no lighting or pavements.

“The site does not have a good connections to the main highway network or the public rights of way network/cycleways. The 111 Matlock to Ashbourne bus does stop close to the site three to four times a day, however it is considered clear that visitors to the site would be dependent upon the private car both to access the site and local services and attractions during their stay.

“The creation of new glamping site in this otherwise remote and isolated location in the countryside, where visitors would be likely to be dependent upon the private motor car would constitute an unstainable form of development which does not promote sustainable rural tourism nor would be a sustainable form of farm diversification.”

Mr Kerry, in his application, had contested that the scheme was sustainable and viable.