Planning refused for Newtown glamping development

Planning permission for the development of a new glamping site in Newtowncunningham has been refused by Donegal County Council.

Bogay Glamping Limited had sought permission for the development of six clamping pods at Bogay Glebe, Newtowncunningham.

The proposed development would also have seen an existing shed renovated to cater for a kitchen, a communal and storage area to include.

Some local residents submitted objections to the development.

One objector to the development said the area was ‘a unique habitat for a whole range of plants and animals’.

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The person, who lives in a house close to the site of the proposed development, wrote: “The trees should be protected from being cut down to create a driveway into the development. I believe that this will be unavoidable if the development continues. The negative impact on habitats cannot be over emphasised. We have seen a lot of different species of birds, butterflies, foxes buzzards in the area.”

Potential issues over noise pollution and littering were raised while the resident felt concerned at the lack of provision for onsite security. A potential impact on water supply was mentioned as ‘a very worrying situation’.

Donegal County Council’s attention was also drawn to a house onsite, which is subject to protection as a listed building.

Another resident nearby added: “It must be noted that Bogay is a very special environment with beautiful mature trees and plants and should be treated in a very sensitive manner that reflects its natural values.”

A further objection outlined the feeling that a commercial development of that nature was not suitable for the area.

“Roads are not designed or have the width for large volumes of traffic including caravans that will eventually use the proposed facility,” the resident said, adding fears over the impact on drinking water for neighbouring properties.

“The small number of vehicles using the road are understated in the planning application,” the letter said. “Volumes can be quite high when farm machinery, local residents, school buses and the back roads from Derry are taken into consideration.”

In refusing permission, Donegal County Council said the proposed development, being akin to a static holiday mobile home development, did not fall within safe walking distance of local services and facilities. The local authority said the proposed development would contravene Council policy ‘and be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area’.

Donegal County Council said it believed that the proposal ‘provides for an ad hoc and unsustainable form of development in a rural location that provides for an accommodation dominant product with no sustainable or tangible connection to an existing or proposed resource related activity based tourism product and as such, could not be supported’.

The Council considered the proximity to an existing residential property and noted the lack of a visitor and site management plan and added that the development ‘would create a noise nuisance, would be contrary to public health, and would generate a traffic hazard’.

The developer did not submit an Architectural Heritage Impact Assessment on the proposal and the Council said to permit the development ‘would materially contravene’ its development plan ‘and would therefore be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area’.