Welshpool Campsite Planning Permission Denied

The Powys County Council denied the planning permission for a campsite near Welshpool (United Kingdom) to further develop its site.

The field at Forest View in Llangadfan, which has hosted tents and campers for two years running, cannot accommodate people for a longer occupancy period because of the rejected plan, according to a report.

The owners of the land submitted a planning application to change the use of the land from agricultural to a registered tented campsite.

They planned to use the application to carry out associated works to further develop the site into a camping destination with the council’s help instead of applying for a license from the Caravan and Camping Club. The owner had no interest in allowing touring vehicles on the site.

“The proposed scheme for change of use of land to the tented campsite, and associated works is considered modest in scale and design within an agricultural field landscaped by existing trees, which is in line with current planning policies,” stated in the planning application. “The beauty and variety of the Powys Countryside create an attractive area for tourists. Tourism is an important element of the rural economy, and it has been estimated that tourism for Wales equates to 7 percent of Wales’ GDP.”

“The proposal fundamentally complies with the overarching national planning policies that relate to tourism developments, together with the tourism policies of the adopted Local Development Plan. We, therefore, ask that the proposals are supported.”

Powys County Council, however, rejected the planning application, putting an end to the proposal to further develop the site for the time being and its ability to serve as a campsite.

The council said traffic in the area was a major concern, stating that the site development would increase traffic movements through a constrained highway network and impact highway safety.

“The Local Highways Authority raises particular concerns regarding the highway network to the north of the proposed development site due to the width and alignment of the highway and narrow, elevated roadside verges,” stated in the delegated report.

“Any vehicles meeting along this stretch of highway are routinely forced to reverse significant distances in order to pass due to the lack of adequate passing bays.

“Most of the reversing maneuvers would be hazardous due to the raised verges and hedgerows which bound the highway and restricted forward visibility along most of the highway.”

This article originally appeared on Powys County Times.