A planning application for five glamping pods and stables on agricultural land at Sharplaw Estate near Jedburgh, Scottish Borders, has been refused by Scottish Borders Council (SBC), with the authority concluding that the proposal did not comply with its countryside tourism development policy.
The application covered land south of Harden Burn at Sharplaw Estate and was submitted following a planning enforcement investigation by SBC. It was partly retrospective, as several elements of the proposed development had already been installed, including gates, fencing, storage containers, horse stables, and parking areas.
The proposal sought permission for five glamping pods alongside the stables. While the council’s planning policy supports tourism and employment-generating development in rural areas, the authority said such projects must also be appropriate to their location and protect the surrounding environment.
In its decision report, SBC told the Border Telegraph: “The proposals are not considered to be compliant with the requirements of the policy document Business, Tourism and Leisure Development in the Countryside.”
The report noted that the South of Scotland Responsible Tourism Strategy, which serves as SBC’s current tourism strategy and action plan, supports expanding the region’s accommodation offering. However, the strategy also emphasizes the importance of placing accommodation appropriately within the wider visitor economy.
The council quoted the strategy as stating: “It is crucial we have the right accommodation, in the right place, at the right price if we are to grow our visitor economy”.
SBC said the Sharplaw Estate site was in an isolated countryside location without nearby amenities or services. It also identified a lack of suitable active or sustainable transportation options as a concern.
The authority ultimately determined that the environmental impacts associated with the development were not acceptable and were not outweighed by the economic benefits that could result from the glamping accommodation.
For glamping and rural tourism operators, the decision highlights the importance of considering site accessibility, proximity to services, environmental effects, and alignment with local tourism and countryside policies when developing accommodation in rural areas.
It also demonstrates that support for rural tourism at a strategic level does not necessarily mean that individual projects will receive planning approval, particularly where a local authority determines that the site’s characteristics create environmental or accessibility concerns.
The retrospective elements of the application also provide a relevant planning consideration for operators. Installing infrastructure before obtaining the necessary planning permissions can lead to enforcement investigations and may subsequently require an application to regularize existing works, as occurred in this case.
The refusal concerns the specific proposal and site at Sharplaw Estate and does not establish a general prohibition on glamping development in the Scottish Borders. Future proposals would continue to be assessed against applicable planning policies and the characteristics of their individual locations.
