Dorset campsite applications face planning delays

Dorset is anticipating a staycation summer

Planning applications for new campsites ahead of a staycation summer are facing potential delays, a council has warned.

Dorset has experienced a rush of applications from landowners including for yurts, glamping pods, safari tents and tepees.

Dorset Council said not all are likely to be decided within its eight-week target.

With restrictions on foreign travel still in place, Dorset is expecting an influx of visitors during the summer.

Many of the applications from landowners and farmers have been for temporary, small-scale sites, but will collectively add up to hundreds of additional spaces for visitors to sleep, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Current applications include a temporary site for up to 150 tents and caravans at Weymouth Rugby Club, eight bell tents at Symondsbury and shepherd's hut holiday accommodation at Stourpaine.

The council said it currently has nine planning applications currently under consideration for camping or glamping sites.

"Our target timescales for determining these applications would usually be eight weeks but we do unfortunately currently have delays in validating applications which are affecting our decision timescales," it said.

It encouraged landowners to use its "fast-track business advice service" for applications.

Formal planning permission is not needed if sites are to be used for less than 56 days - double what it used to be after the government relaxed the rules to help the economy recover from the pandemic.