Penrith eco glamping pod plans set for approval by council
Councillors to review sustainable tourism proposal
Plans for constructing seven eco-friendly glamping pods in the Penrith area might receive approval next week if councillors follow the planning officer's recommendation.
The proposal will be reviewed by Westmorland & Furness Council’s Eden local area planning committee at the Redhills Conference Centre in Redhills on 10th June.
The application seeks permission for glamping pods, along with necessary infrastructure such as car parking and landscaping, on land adjacent to Raven Bridge Farm in Renwick.
It has been presented to the committee following objections from the parish council, and incorporates changes from a previous scheme that was withdrawn to address scale, layout, landscape impact, ecology, and access concerns.
The development aims to encourage low-impact rural tourism, particularly benefiting cyclists on the nearby Coast to Coast route, with a focus on sustainability, enhanced biodiversity, and sensitive landscape integration.
The site, positioned within open countryside and near but outside the North Pennines National Landscape, has been carefully assessed against national and local planning policies.
It is recommended for approval, subject to conditions, despite deferral at a previous planning committee meeting to allow Kirkoswald Parish Council time to present their opposition.
Parish council objections include highway safety, biodiversity, landscape impact, amenity issues, light pollution affecting dark skies, drainage, and design concerns.
The application requests full planning permission for a small-scale eco-tourism setup comprising seven self-contained glamping pods, a new vehicular access and parking area, associated landscaping, ecological enhancements, and a plant building with solar battery store and generator.
Designed to integrate with the rural landscape, the pods are modest single-storey structures with flat biosolar roofs and timber cladding, each accommodating up to four people.