Caravans, glamping pods and hobbit hotels proposed at Potterhanworth lakeside site

North Kesteven District Council planning sub-committee is being advised by officers to approve plans from R & B. L. Brewer for the campsite at Rushfield Lakes, north of Station Road in the village.

The site is currently used for recreational fishing.

If approved, a park would be created to include 32 touring caravans on the western boundary.

There would be space for 13 static caravans in the centre of the camp between fishing ponds, 12 glamping pods in a woodland area, and five ‘hobbit hotels’.

An amenity and café block would also be located centrally, with all facilities spread around the existing lakes.

A total of 89 car parking spaces would be provided, with additional bays created for motorbikes, bicycles and disabled users.

Michael Orridge, of agents Origin Design Studio Ltd, said: “The proposal supports the sustainable growth and expansion of all types of business and enterprise in rural areas.

“It promotes the development and diversification of agricultural and other land-based rural businesses. It supports sustainable rural tourism and leisure developments that benefit businesses in rural areas, communities and visitors, and which respect the character of the countryside.”

He suggested the development could help sustain local services in Potterhanworth.

The plans have also been endorsed by Visit Lincoln, an organisation which aims to bring visitors, investment and business into the city and surrounding areas.

In a letter to North Kesteven District Council supporting the application, Head of Visit Lincoln Lydia Rusling said: “We recognise that the plans at Rushfield Lakes could have a positive impact in growing the visitor economy and help meet the demand from tourists, which are not currently being met by existing facilities in rural locations.

“The significant anniversary of the RAF centenary in 2018 and the Mayflower 400 anniversary in 2020 provides a key opportunity to attract new international visitors through itinerary based packages.”

However, not everyone has been as enthusiastic about the proposals, with the council receiving 16 objections from residents concerned about an overdevelopment of Potterhanworth and how the village would cope with an influx of visitors.

Coun Ray Cucksey, whose ward covers the application area, has requested the committee considers the plans, claiming that the provision of static caravans should be treated in the same way as new properties in the countryside.

These feelings have been echoed by Potterhanworth Parish Council, which added that the site should be limited to temporary visits.

Councillors on North Kesteven District Council’s Planning Sub-Committee will consider the plans at a meeting in Sleaford on Tuesday, April 24.