Plan to double size of yorkshire glamping park - complete with hot tubs - refused

Councillors have blocked plans to expand an Yorkshire glamping park including with a manager’s home which nearby locals claimed would cause more noise and antisocial behaviour. East Riding

Council’s Eastern Area Planning Sub-Committee refused plans to expand Fitling’s Great Meadows Park by nine glamping pods including the home, growing it to 18 in total. Applicant Stephen

Fisher told councillors he needed to live onsite to look after guests’ health, safety and welfare after pods were booked out during its first season last year. But Helen Teasdale, speaking

on behalf of local objectors, told the committee noise and light from the development threatened the hamlet of Fitling amid claims of antisocial behaviour from guests. Plans submitted to the

council proposed building the new pods on a 1.98h site to the west of Fitling Lane. Each of the pods feature a bedroom, en-suite, lounge, kitchen, dining area and outside terraces with a

hot tub. The site currently has nine pods and first opened to guests in April 2021 hospitality venues were allowed to reopen once coronavirus rules were lifted. Great Meadows Park also has

six pitches for touring caravans and councillors heard the expansion would mean up to 40 guests could be onsite at any one time. The committee heard permission to replace touring caravan

pitches with the existing pods in 2019, with the use of a caravan onsite as temporary manager’s home extended in 2020. Read More Historic England grant listed status to Art Deco tearoom and

M62 construction ma... Council planning officers recommended that the expansion be refused because building permanent accommodation in holiday parks went against planning rules. Officers

said they had no issue with more holiday pods, adding owners could monitor the site remotely if contact details were passed on to guests. Mr Fisher told councillors someone needed to be

onsite at all times serve guests, deal with late arrivals and departures and be on hand in emergencies. The applicant said: “Officers suggested we could live off site and fit the hot tub

areas with monitors for noise but this would be illegal. This could create one full time and four part time jobs if approved.” But Mrs Teasdale told the committee locals were concerned that

the area could become overdeveloped. The objector said: “In the winter the pods are totally visible from nearby homes and hedges planted to screen them have not matured yet. We’re also

growing concerned about a potential increase in flooding which we have already suffered.” Coun John Holtby, whose Mid Holdeness ward covers the site, called on the committee to support the

plans which would help tackle antisocial behaviour which nearby locals had complained about. Coun Brian Skow, also of the ward, said he was not against the expansion of the park but

understood locals were concerned. Coun Skow said: “People are worried because these holiday sites are becoming bigger than the village itself. Sometimes guests get into a party mood while on

holiday and if no one’s there to control that then people will suffer.” Committee chair Coun Sue Steel said that while Great Meadows Park’s owners were doing an excellent job running the

site, the bid to live onsite was the stumbling block. Coun Steel said: “It would amount to development in the open countryside which this council doesn’t support. There must be a solution,

but we have policies to abide by and this would open a can of worms for other similar developments.”