Plans for three glamping cabins and a sauna on farmland near Great Gransden have been approved by Huntingdonshire District Council, despite objections from residents and the parish council concerning the development’s potential effects on neighboring properties, the rural landscape and nearby heritage assets.
The Huntingdonshire District Council development management committee voted 6-4 to approve the proposal, with two members abstaining. The decision allows 0.2 hectares of a deer-grazing field west of 24 Little Gransden Lane to be converted into a small tourism site.
Applicant Mike Milne told councillors that the development would support his family’s forestry and deer business and operate as a “small back-to-nature quiet retreat,” rather than a party venue. He also said the project could generate benefits for the surrounding community by supporting “local suppliers, the village shop, and, if it reopens, the pub”.
The approved scheme includes two one-bedroom cabins accommodating up to two people each and a two-bedroom cabin for up to four guests. The site will also include a sauna, parking, landscaping and a package treatment plant.
Great Gransden Parish Council opposed the application, citing the site’s location outside the built-up area and its proximity to the village’s conservation area and three Grade II-listed buildings. The council argued that the cabins, parking areas, paths and additional visitor activity would introduce tourism infrastructure into a sensitive rural setting.
Parish council chair Cllr Nigel Day also highlighted the access arrangements during the committee meeting, according to The Hunts Post. The development would be reached via a narrow track that also serves as a public footpath, raising concerns about the suitability of the route for additional vehicle movements.
Neighbor Emily Hayes raised separate concerns about vehicle headlights, guest noise, privacy and drainage. She told the committee that her home is approximately 17 meters from the site entrance, with her garden located even closer.
Planning officers said potential issues relating to noise, drainage and lighting could be controlled through planning conditions. A conservation officer had objected to the proposal, concluding that it would result in “less than substantial harm” to the setting of nearby heritage assets.
The case officer, however, assessed the level of harm as minimal, citing the relatively small scale of the cabins, their distance from heritage assets and existing and proposed screening. Officers recommended approval, determining that the rural tourism, potential employment, visitor spending and biodiversity benefits would outweigh the identified heritage impacts.
During consideration of the application, councillors also discussed dust, noise, the narrow access track and potential effects on neighboring properties. The committee ultimately accepted officers’ assessment that these matters could be addressed through conditions.
One additional condition was introduced to remove permitted development rights for further overnight accommodation at the site. This limits the ability to expand the accommodation beyond the three cabins without further planning consideration.
For outdoor hospitality operators, the decision highlights the importance of addressing access, screening, drainage, lighting and neighbor impacts when proposing small-scale glamping developments in rural locations. It also illustrates how planning authorities may weigh tourism and economic benefits against landscape and heritage considerations, while using conditions to limit operational impacts and future expansion.