A “free range” campsite with 12 shepherd huts and its own “stargazing zone” is being planned at a popular Broads’ holiday hub.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council has given the green light for the new site in Burgh Castle, near Great Yarmouth, famous for its Roman fort and views over Breydon Water.
The tourist facility at Welcome Farm will feature 20 camping pitches with electric hook-up, and a “free range” zone with flexible-sized plots to suit various needs “from cyclists to super-tents”
Overall there will be capacity for 180 bed spaces.
Images submitted alongside the planning application show a diverse site with pockets of free-range camping, various play areas, and open spaces.
The shepherd huts are shown dotted around their own valley away from any parking to add to a sense “of wilderness and discovery.”
The site at Welcome Farm, and neighbouring gravel extraction quarry Welcome Pit, are both owned by Folkes Plant and Aggregate.
The scheme was previously approved in 2014.
Applicant Philip Green said he was confident the plan would get going this time.
Although the Covid-19 pandemic had created uncertainty for tourism, there were indications that people were looking to take trips closer to home and preferred smaller, low density settings, he said.
“We have got to see what happens.
“It is something that is planned but it will be done this time.”
In considering the scheme the council raised concerns about it being next to a working gravel pit but concluded that because they were in the same ownership it would not be in the operator’s best interest to allow noise and dust to bother potential customers.
Under conditions that form part of the approval people will be able to stay there from March 1 to January 31 and only for four weeks at a time.
Access to the site, described as an area of small holding, will be via Butt Lane and the residents of Welcome Farm will also be wardens for the campers.
It is described by the applicants as a quality development that is unique to the area and set to deliver an economic boost.
“The proposals reflect the applicant’s desire to contribute to the quality and diversity of tourism sites in the area which will naturally benefit the local economy,” the papers add.
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