Planners have told a farmer to carry on camping after they removed a restriction on how long his field could be used.
Kevin Flower plans to invest at least £100,000 on a new campsite at Higher Moor Farm off Nottington Lane in Weymouth.
He told a meeting of Weymouth and Portland planning and traffic committee that such a big investment meant he would borrow the money from a bank and he was worried that current approval for the site contained a one-year restriction after which he’d need to reapply for permission.
Mr Flower said he planned to provide “a great value family farm camping experience” with the field going back to sheep grazing in winter.
There would be a lot of investment needed, he said, including more than £34,000 to increase electricity supply to run showers, but he supported the project as part of his farm’s diversification.
Councillor Peter Farrell backed Mr Flower’s request and said: “It is unreasonable to put this condition on. I don’t see what is gained by it and I think we should remove it.”
Councillor Margaret Leicester agreed and said: “If you want people to put up a decent campsite then money has got to be invested and I am all in favour of this.”
Chairman Councillor Mark Tewkesbury said: “There is a need for good value campsites in Weymouth with proper toilets and proper showers.”
The meeting then approved the development but without the restrictive time condition.
Edited to remove incorrect site link: Once the site is up and running, we'll add the full details!
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