Go-ahead for glamping and café near Carsington

COUNCILLORS have granted permission for a glamping pod and café site near Carsington Water.

The site, off Broom Lane between Kirk Ireton and Carsington Water, would have 10 glamping pods.

Derbyshire Dales District Council officers had recommended that the plans, from husband and wife partnership Charles and Rosie Blackwall, should be refused due to a lack of public transport links.

However, at a virtual meeting last week, councillors from all parties rallied to approve the plans in an aim to encourage new businesses to set up in the Dales after pandemic.

They also felt it could see more people stay local or in the UK for their holidays.

Each of the proposed pods, set in woodland which was a former quarry, would be timber and measure 13.6 metres wide, 12.5m long and 4.1m tall.

Mr Blackwall, said during the meeting: “My wife (Rosie) and I wish to build a sustainable business to benefit the local community and economy and also to continue to sustain the Blackwall family estate and family home.

“We wish to make the most of family-owned land to the benefit of the local community, as well as our family.

“I understand the main reason for recommending refusal is the lack of public transport, we are appealing to people who are more likely to travel with their own transport.”

He said there are public transport links nearby and says the area lacks premium camping facilities.

Mr Blackwell said the café would cater for walkers and cyclists visiting the area and the site would provide a base for those coming to the Dales.

Ward councillor, Cllr Richard Bright, called for the application to be approved, saying: “This site will benefit greatly from investment as it is an old industrial site that desperately needs attention in order to preserve and enhance the natural habitat. This application will preserve the site and not damage it, in my opinion.

“The applicants are looking to bring investment into the Dales and it is more important than ever as we are trying to rebuild the tourist industry in the Derbyshire Dales after the end of the Government’s lockdown, which I hope will come in June.

“The site is roughly 200 metres from two existing caravan sites and less than half a mile from Carsington Water, which is one of the largest tourist draws in the Derbyshire Dales.

“To say this site is unsustainable I would question, strongly. This is environmentally sustainable and will bring jobs to the area and sustainable tourism.

“In my eyes this is probably the gold standard of tourist development.”

Chris Whitmore, a district councillor planning officer, said: “We recognise the benefits that this would have to the local economy but we have to weigh that against the sustainability of the site in terms of providing new tourism accommodation.”

He said that an appeal against similar plans in the area had previously been rejected due to a lack of local services and said that there are no footways on the roads surrounding the site, making walking difficult.

Cllr Neil Buttle said: “I like the idea of glamping and I like the idea of people having holidays in the UK, rather than flying to Tenerife, so I am absolutely in favour of proper local holidays.

“I don’t imagine people are going to be coming from Germany to go glamping in Carsington, so it does seem like a reasonably good idea.” He did ask that the applicants consider charging points for electric vehicles.

Cllr Sir Richard Fitzherbert, who lives at and runs operations at Tissington Hall, said: “We are in desperate, desperate need – not just in the Dales, but in the Peak District National Park – for more accommodation and accommodation that is also sustainable as well.

“It will be a valid asset for tourism in the Dales.

“It is a cracking site and we really have, after Covid-19, we have got to do new things in the Derbyshire Dales, new enterprise.”

Leader of the authority, Cllr Garry Purdy, said: “I think we need to listen to these fresh young applicants that want to go into business.

“As leader of the council, I feel a huge responsibility to try and kickstart the economy after the pandemic.

“We need to support new business and help the return to a better economy.”

Ashbourne Cllr Tom Donnelly said: “When you look around the Derbyshire Dales, we do need more and more accommodation, whether it is hotels or whatever.

“We have got to recover from this horrible time we have gone through.

“And I think the more things we can get into the Dales, the better.

“I think it’ll be a fantastic project for that area.”