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All-Year Tourism Pod Plans For Isle Of Wight's Tapnell Farm

A popular Isle of Wight tourist attraction is looking to change its seasonal camping to a more permanent offer.

Tapnell Farm, based on the outskirts of Freshwater, is looking to install 32 high-quality tourism pods, each with enough space for four beds in each.

They would be clad in rough-sawn vertical timber and stained, with some walls featuring a trellised living wall.

Currently, the site is the zorbing course and also in the summer, houses 30 bell tents and a communal activities tent.

The new tourism pods would be moveable but would be a more permanent fixture.

The seasonal campsite ran from May 1 to September 30 and has been used before by the National Citizens Service.

In the last year, Tapnell Farm has partnered with Camp Libertas, which offers children from 8 to 15 the opportunity to connect with nature.

Planning agent, on behalf of Tapnell Farm, BCM says the proposal will deliver a high-quality solution which breaks the seasonality of trade.

It is proposed the permanent shower and toilet block would remain.

A landscaping scheme is also proposed as part of the camping development.

It includes the planting of 70 native tree; a 21,300m² meadow grassland; 195m of mixed native hedge and 1,900m² of tree and scrub planting.

You can view the application, 21/01931/FUL, on the council’s planning register. Comments can be made until December 16.

Planning permission had been previously refused for seven permanent self-contained tourism domes as it was considered the domes were inappropriate to the visual amenity and the character of the area.

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