National Trust campsite scheme set for approval

Bruce Sinclair – Local democracy reporter

Plans to diversify a National Trust campsite at a coastal beauty spot with seasonal siting for campervans and ‘landpods’ are expected to be approved by a national park.

In an application recommended for delegated approval at the June meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee, the National Trust seeks permission for a change of use of land for camping, the seasonal siting of five ‘landpods’ and 20 campervans and associated works at Gupton Farm, near Freshwater West.

The application is before the committee rather than being decided by planning officers as it is an application recommended for approval which is a departure from the adopted Local Development Plan 2.

An officer report recommending approval says the site currently operates as an established seasonal campsite under a National Trust exemption certificate.

“The existing campsite has operated for approximately 10 years and currently accommodates seasonal tent camping and a limited number of campervan pitches utilising existing site infrastructure including shower and toilet facilities, sewage treatment infrastructure, access tracks and parking areas.

“The proposal seeks to formalise and diversify the existing operation by allowing greater flexibility in accommodation type and pitch management whilst maintaining the existing overall site capacity of a maximum of 100 people and 50 pitches per night.”

It adds: “The submitted information confirms that the proposal does not seek to increase overall occupancy levels at the site but instead proposes a redistribution of accommodation types through increased campervan provision and the introduction of seasonal landpods. The landpods are proposed as free-standing seasonal structures with no permanent drainage or utility connections and would be removed from the site during December, January and February.”

It says that, while the scheme represents a departure from planning policy “due to the sensitive coastal landscape location,” officers consider “that the seasonal nature of the proposal, the established exempted camping use, the absence of any increase in overall site capacity, the landscape-led design approach and the significant biodiversity and visitor management benefits weigh in favour of the proposal”.

The report adds an original pre-application proposal conflicted in part [with policies] “due to the scale and sensitivity of the site location,” officers advising there could be scope to support “a reduced-scale, clearly seasonal proposal where robust landscape mitigation, ecological enhancement and visitor management justification could be demonstrated”.

It said the submitted application sought to address those concerns; the scheme which incorporates “significant landscape and biodiversity enhancement measures” is “specifically designed as a seasonal and reversible form of development, with the Landpods removed from the site outside the operational season and stored within an existing onsite barn”.

The report later says: “On balance, it is considered that the proposal would not result in unacceptable harm to the special qualities of the National Park and that the material considerations in favour of the proposal outweigh the identified policy tensions in this instance. The principle of the development is therefore considered acceptable subject to appropriate planning conditions.”

It is recommended to delegate conditional approval to officers following the end of a public advertisement period for a policy departure.