Costly glamping websites and luxurious lodge parks within the Yorkshire Dales are pushing out much less prosperous nationwide park guests who simply need to pitch up in a tent.
John Amsden, the chair of Richmondshire district council’s planning committee, mentioned they have been popping up all around the Dales and there was little that could possibly be accomplished to cease them.
“Tenting websites have modified from being tenting websites – they’re extra like vacation parks,” he mentioned. “Plus we’re getting much more websites with pods and lodges.”
Amsden mentioned as a result of the pandemic had led to so many individuals holidaying within the UK there had been massive improve in purposes for lodges and glamping websites. All of which was “pushing out” individuals who both can’t afford to glamp, or don’t need to.
“There was fairly a couple of tent websites within the Dales however they’ve disappeared due to issues like this. It can be crucial for the youthful technology. My daughter goes tenting as a result of it’s simple and it’s not costly.”
He mentioned planners’ arms have been tied they usually have been typically powerless to refuse permission for the websites.
Amsden mentioned that lodges and pods have been costly buildings to place up and candidates have been solely catering to demand.
However will the demand proceed? “I’m involved we’ll get all these locations up and operating however in three or 4 years’ time, as issues change again to regular and other people begin going overseas once more, they may have priced themselves out of the market. I can see them in 5 years’ time changing into derelict.”
Amsden is a member of the Yorkshire Dales nationwide park planning committee, the place the difficulty was raised this week.
It was debated because the committee agreed enforcement motion in opposition to a Dales camp accused of unauthorised modifications, together with eradicating area for tents.
Bainbridge Ings, a long-established tenting and caravan web site at Hawes, had a posh planning historical past, planning officers mentioned. 1 / 4 of the location was meant to be for tents solely and an utility to alter that to permit caravans and cell properties had been refused. A subsequent attraction was turned down by the planning inspectorate due to the antagonistic visible impression.
The committee examined aerial pictures from the final yr exhibiting the proprietor had put in tracks and exhausting standings for cell properties and caravans within the tent-only subject.
“I used to be there this morning to see if something had modified. It hadn’t,” mentioned Ian Faircloth, planning enforcement officer. “There are nonetheless camper vans and motorhomes there. Slightly apparently, the one factor you gained’t discover on this space are any tents. There’s a signal that reads ‘no tents allowed on web site’.”
Richard Good, a committee member, mentioned he had camped on the web site on quite a few events – “in a tent”.
He added: “The dearth of precise tent tenting within the space is changing into a major problem. There’s a particular want for tenting in tents, it’s way more financial. The explanation why they don’t need tents is as a result of they don’t get something just like the revenue from tents.”
One other committee member, Yvonne Peacock, mentioned she may keep in mind folks bringing tents to the location and it being well-used, including: “Bringing tents is a less expensive method for folks to come back and benefit from the Dales.”
She accused the campsite homeowners of “making an attempt to make a mockery of our planning system”.
Enforcement motion was agreed by the committee. Bainbridge Ings has been approached for remark.