Derbyshire glamping pod site gets thumbs up in bid to boost sustainable tourism

Glamping pods and lodges will be built in a Derbyshire village in a bid to boost sustainable tourism and “staycations”.
The site will be guilt off Nottingham Road, Tansley. Photo for illustration onlyThe site will be guilt off Nottingham Road, Tansley. Photo for illustration only
The site will be guilt off Nottingham Road, Tansley. Photo for illustration only

At a Derbyshire Dales District Council meeting, councillors approved plans to build seven glamping pods and four log cabins in a field and woodland off Nottingham Road, Tansley, east of Matlock.

Mr and Mrs Wood, who submitted the application and have owned the site for seven years, also plan to accommodate up to 14 tents on the site.

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During last night’s meeting, Richard Pigott, agent for the application, called the project a “highly sustainable development” within a few miles of the Peak District National Park.

He said that woodland would restrict the site’s visibility and that there would be a limited impact on the area’s “rural character”.

Mr Pigott said: “Holidaying in the UK has become very popular in recent years and staycations are expected to continue to boom in the coming years following the pandemic.

“The proposed development will improve the current tourist accommodation offer in the area and bring significant economic benefits through increased local area spending, footfall and employment.

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“This will directly benefit the local economy.”

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He said the applicant’s supported the council’s “green agenda” and said the owners would look into how renewable energy could be used to power the site and that they would aim to make use of rainwater.

The plans detail that the seven glamping pods would be seven metres long, 3.2 metres wide and 3.4 metres tall, built out of timber with glass windows.Each pod would have a bathroom, bedroom and kitchen with a small decking area.

The log cabins would be one and a half stories tall, measuring 8.2 metres by 9.9 metres and can accommodate up to four people. They would be built out of timber logs on a metal decking with a metal sheet roof.

Each cabin would have two double bedrooms, one with an ensuite bathroom upstairs and one downstairs, with a separate bathroom and a sauna.There would also be a first-floor balcony, and an open-plan kitchen, dining and living room area, along with a hot tub.

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An “all terrain vehicle” would transport customers from the car park area up to the log cabins.

Sarah Arbon, a planning officer for the council, detailed that two previous applications to 12 homes and caravan storage respectively were refused in 2016 and 2017, on highways grounds.She told the meeting that Derbyshire County Council highways did not raise concerns over the glamping proposals.

Cllr Sue Burfoot said: “The log cabins are quite substantial and could be considered permanent homes.

“I am struggling with this one a bit, I and the parish council do have highways safety concerns.

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“We need to be real and know people are going to use their cars, services in Tansley are very limited.“You can’t buy a bottle of milk in Tansley.”

Ms Arbon said there would be a condition that no-one would be allowed to stay at the site for more than six weeks overall across the year, and for no longer than three weeks at a time, with at least 28 days between stays.

Cllr Neil Buttle said the proposal for hot tubs in the log cabins “doesn’t strike me as being terribly sustainable”.