A retrospective planning application has been submitted for Rowan Bank Campsite, located off the A59 in Horton, Ribble Valley, to formalize an unauthorized expansion of the site.
The proposal seeks approval for the change of use of agricultural land to a caravan site and to retain existing facilities, including five caravan pitches, a changeover pitch, an amenities block, a waste and recycling area, and a chemical toilet disposal point, while also adding ten additional pitches.
The application, submitted in 2026, includes a design and access statement indicating that the extension would create 11 new hardstanding caravan bases, increasing the total number of pitches from five to 16 and enlarging the site by 2,230 square meters.
Rowan Bank Campsite is part of a 40-acre working beef farm owned by David and Carole Newhouse, who purchased the property in April 2022.
The campsite is affiliated with a national camping and caravanning club, which has indicated support for additional pitches if planning permission is granted. Existing amenities include showers, toilets, and pot-washing facilities, as well as dedicated waste, recycling provision, and a chemical toilet disposal point.
Access would continue via the current private entrance off the A59, with a new grass track creating a one-way system through the extended area.
According to the design statement, all new bases would be surfaced with dark gravel to match existing hardstandings, spaced six meters apart, and connected to the site’s electrical hookups.
The extension would be enclosed by traditional post-and-rail timber fencing, according to the Lancashire Telegraph. The statement asserts that the development would have minimal impact on the landscape, citing mature trees along the A59 that screen the site and noting the absence of nearby residential properties overlooking the extension.
No additional external lighting is proposed, and the increase in visitor numbers is described as modest, with low potential for noise or visual impact. The statement also emphasizes that the expansion would support rural diversification and local tourism.
For outdoor hospitality professionals, this case highlights the importance of regularizing unauthorized site developments while balancing operational expansion with planning and environmental considerations.
The proposal demonstrates how small-scale site extensions can integrate existing facilities, maintain landscape character, and support rural tourism without significantly increasing local disturbance.