Derbyshire youth centre wants to build glamping pods, log cabins and modern events building

A popular youth centre in Derbyshire is looking to build glamping pods, log cabins and a modern events building.
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Around 6,000 children visit the The Briars Catholic Youth Retreat Centre, in Briars Lane, Crich, each year.

Extensive plans to expand the site have been submitted to Amber Valley Borough Council by the Nottingham Diocesan Catholic Youth Service.

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The youth centre first opened in 1970 under the leadership of Edward Ellis, then Bishop of Nottingham, with just one building.

A Derbyshire youth centre wants to build glamping pods, log cabins and modern events buildingA Derbyshire youth centre wants to build glamping pods, log cabins and modern events building
A Derbyshire youth centre wants to build glamping pods, log cabins and modern events building

It is now a complex of buildings but the plans include a new modern event building, built largely out of timber and large sheets of glass.

There are also plans to build three log cabins and two glamping pods which would be available for holiday lets.

The borough council will make a decision on the application in the next few months.

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If approved, each glamping pod would include double bed, shower, toilet, kitchen, living and dining area as well as a deck with a picnic table.

The large event building would be several storeys tall and mimic the look of a barn with a lofty ceiling.

It would have large glass panels down the front entrance and timber and aluminium sheeting to form the walls and roof.

The building would have two meeting rooms, toilets, a kitchen and servery, a large function room, two store rooms and an alter.

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It would be built into an embankment and two small wind turbines would be installed on the roof.

A statement submitted by the applicants says: “Since the creation of this facility in 1969, the facility has grown steadily but this proposal represents the largest development for many years but it is vital that the council support this considered, sympathetic and vital proposal which would guarantee the long-term future of The Briars.

“The importance of the facility for young people is unquestionable but for the applicants to continue to provide such a facility they need to grow and diversify.

“With the available land within and around the site, the provision of holiday accommodation and a high-quality function building provides the opportunity for this growth.

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“The function building, a modern and design-led space, would serve the current business and appeal to local businesses and community for their use when required.

“It is evident that the most appropriate form of development on the land to the south east would be the provision of five structures for holiday accommodation.

“There is clear evidence that the site would warrant this form of accommodation and that this business would be successful because of the strategic location of the site to the surrounding tourist destinations within this region.”

If approved, a new car park would be built to the left of the main entrance off Briars Lane, in what is currently a field.

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Meanwhile the glamping pods and log cabins would be built to the right of the main entrance, an area currently used for activities.

The new events building would be built to the very rear of the current site with an access route to link it to Briars Lane.

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