Plans put forward to expand glamping site near Horsham

Planning permission is being sought from Horsham District Council to double the number of glamping units at a site at Nightingale Farm in Sincox Lane, Shipley.

Permission was first granted two years ago for eight glamping units but the operators now want to increase it to 16.

They say the site has been operating successfully since its launch but the seasonal nature of the business means that it is under used at certain times.

In a statement to the council, the operators say: “In order to make the business viable and provide sustainable employment it is essential to maximise revenues through these busy spells.”

They plan to space the new units in a similar way to existing ones and say that it will mean using just a 60 per cent increase in land because a number of facilities are shared and there is already adequate parking space.

The site already has showers and a communal kitchen area and uses rain water collected by a water bus, along with an on-site well.

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Nightingale Farm is currently used as an equine facility as well as glamping. But the operators say the land they propose to use for the extra glamping units is not suitable for horses “due to the density of oak trees and presence of acorns, dropped leaf and twigs that are poisonous for horses.”

They say they support the council’s dark skies initiative and the units will have solar supported battery-powered low-level lighting.