A yurt, cabin and a converted loft will be used for glamping accommodation on a historic farm site in the Derbyshire countryside.
Plans for the glamping accommodation were approved at a Derbyshire Dales District Council meeting last night (February 14) for a site at Horsley House Farm in Bradbourne.
This was against the recommendation of council officers, who felt the scheme should be rejected due to a perceived lack of sustainability based on its isolated location.
The scheme, submitted by Brewer and Saunders, would see the new accommodation located a couple of miles from Carsington Water, yards from a public footpath and with a free bus agreement with Ashbourne Connect to shuttle guests.
This comes two years after a scheme for eight glamping accommodation units, including a Hobbit burrow built into the hillside, was rejected.
The reduced scheme no longer includes a Hobbit burrow but retains a “pigeon loft”, a yurt and a cabin.
Cllr Janet Rose, local councillor for the area, said in a statement read at the meeting: “The owners have invested in a run-down Grade-II* listed building which prior to their ownership was in a very poor state of repair.
“The site’s remoteness is not a reason for refusal and the applicant has mitigated this by writing a travel plan and has liaised with Ashbourne Connect to provide a free return ticket every day.
“The application is considered and sustainable. The pigeon loft is derelict and in danger of falling into complete disrepair.
“The business will help support the sustainability of a Grade-11* listed property and will contribute to the wider economy. Surely we should be approving schemes like this rather than see another three cottages converted into holiday accommodation.”
Ben Raynor, agent for the applicant, told the meeting that the scheme has been reduced in size following advice from the previous application.
He said: “Contentious elements such as an underground burrow were removed and measures of obtaining site sustainability have been identified.”
The new scheme is felt to have less of an impact on the countryside, the agent said.
Mr Raynor said: “It is likely that the guests would be walkers and this is the perfect site for walkers to access public rights of way and the national park.
“The site is perfectly located for a small-scale holiday accommodation that can benefit the long-term future of a heritage asset.
“The site is close to other camping and holiday sites and this accommodation type will create jobs during the works, during the operation and benefit the local economy with direct and indirect spend.”
He said an agreement had been reached with the neighbouring landowner for guests to gain access to a public footpath on their property.
Sarah Arbon, a council planning officer, said the pigeon loft part of the project continued to represent harm to the historic house complex.
She said it “would appear visible and conspicuous from within the farmhouse because it is on higher land”.
Ms Arbon said there were “limited public benefits and they do not outweigh this harm” in what was an unsustainable location.
Cllr David Hughes said the site was 100 yards from a public footpath which links to a whole network of footpaths, including a pub in Kniveton.
Chris Whitmore, the council’s development manager said it was the view of officers that the site was unsustainable but that councillors were free to come to a different conclusion.
Cllr Neil Buttle said: “I don’t really feel that our definition of sustainability is a good one. It is unsustainable to go on holiday to Ibiza for the weekend, it is not really quite so unsustainable to do a bit of glamping in the Peak District. We may be over-egging our sustainability pudding, if there is such a thing.”
Cllr Tom Donnelly said: “I am quite surprised it has gone from eight to three (glamping units) and personally I don’t see any problem with the location of the units and it is much improved from the previous one (application).
“I have been talking to people around Ashbourne and we need more accommodation and we need accommodation like this.
“It is less harmful than officers say…If this went to appeal we would struggle to defend it.”
Cllr Stuart Lees said the Ashbourne Connect service was a good partnership and that their buses also included cycle racks.
He said: “It ticks the sustainability box in my opinion.”
Cllr Sue Burfoot said: “Let’s be serious about this, we have got a derelict pigeon loft there and if they don’t get this approval then they’ll keep that there, or replace it with something else.”
She said rejecting the scheme would be “asking officers to defend something that can’t be defended”.
Cllr Jason Atkin, chair of the planning committee, commenting on the pigeon loft, said: “I don’t think it is fit for a pigeon to live in at the moment.”
Cllr Peter Slack said: “A few camping pods will not affect the listed building and in fact people coming here will mean they will see the listed building. The idea that people can’t go near a listed building is a wrong policy.”
