Glamping site plan for National Park village ‘should be refused’
PLANS for a glamping site in open countryside should be rejected to maintain the unique landscape surrounding one of the North York Moors’ most visited villages, National Park officers have said.
While Keith Austin’s ambition to erect cabins at Westlands Farm, Osmotherley has rekindled debate in the village about the amount of visitors it can cope with, the park authority’s planning committee will be told the holiday destination would have “a very formal, suburban feel and appearance”.
The recommendation to the North York Moors National Park Authority meeting on May 16 comes after residents expressed frustration over inconsiderate parking and regular queues of traffic in the village, which is known for its 12th century church and almshouses.
Application documents state the proposed glamping site, which is close to the village centre and can be seen from the Cleveland Way, would feature five one-and-a-half storey two-bedroom cabins, each with a decking area with glazed balustrades.
The papers claim local holiday parks are being “overwhelmed” and the site would be the “perfect location for a new tourist accommodation development” as it would attract visitors from both the surrounding area and further afield wanting to explore its “beautiful attractions”.
The proposal has been backed by several businesses in the village.
One letter of support states: “It strikes me that this is precisely the kind of business idea that fits well with the profile of the village, that is to welcome and cater for visitors. The village needs to preserve its vitality and avoid the growing threat of more and more second homes turning it into a desert.”
However, residents, the parish council and North Yorkshire Council’s highways officers have raised concerns over the increase in traffic in the area and road safety, particularly for young children and parents walking to a play area off a single track lane leading to the site.
Objectors said a lane near the proposed site was “a traffic bottleneck”.
A highways spokesman said as the national planning policy stated developments should only be refused if an unacceptable impact on road safety or the impact on the road network would be severe, a highway refusal would be “difficult to sustain”.
Objectors have highlighted how Osmotherley already has a plethora of holiday accomodation, including Cote Ghyll Caravan Park, a hostel, many holiday cottages and bed and breakfast guesthouses, as well as three public houses with rooms.
One objector stated: “My personal view is that the village already offers a more than adequate provision of accommodation, possibly more than the market requirements judging by the volume of unlet properties over the last year.”
Another wrote: “This development, if permitted, will generate increased activity, noise and traffic in an area of the village that has always been remote and tranquil.”
Despite the concerns, in a report to the committee, planning officers underlined the authority was not opposed to holiday accommodation at Westlands Farm.