Secret Garden Glamping’s planning application for 19 Shrubbs…

PLANS to continue using a garden in an urban Lymington street as a glamping site have been recommended for refusal.

Several town residents spoke against the plan at a recent Lymington and Pennington Town Council planning committee meeting.

Applicant Secret Garden Glamping wants to continue using part of the garden at 19 Shrubbs Avenue as a glamping site for five months of the year.

The company had applied to NFDC in January for full planning permission to set up the glamping business via agent Bob Hull Planning.

In a covering letter to NFDC, the agent said the application was submitted after “enforcement enquiries” were made about the business when it was operating last summer.

Another resident of the street complained to NFDC the glamping business has been operating for more than two years and that they had seen anti-social behaviour there within “eye and ear shot of the very young and impressionable”.

The complainant said Shrubbs Avenue residents had concerns about inadequate parking and questioned whether the glamping site’s grounds had been sold to the applicant, describing it as former “scrub land” where children used to play.

In support of the planning application, another resident in the road said the continued operation of a glamping business “doesn’t affect me in any way”.

Another neighbour wrote to NFDC saying the business owners were dedicated to “maintaining neighbourhood relations and community engagement”.

“We hardly notice the comings and goings of the guests and certainly do not experience any parking, noise or light issues,” the neighbour added.

At the planning meeting, members voted to recommend NFDC refuses the application after neighbours in the street shared concerns to them about noise disturbances and the impact of firepits and bonfires on the local environment.

Listed on a New Forest bed and breakfast website, an entry about Secret Garden Glamping reads: “Just a 10-minute stroll from Lymington High Street, you will find the New Forest’s best kept glamping secret… Secret Garden Glamping.”

It said the site “offers utter peace and tranquility and which really does feel like it’s a million miles from anywhere”.

“Perfect for romantic escapes and family adventures, ‘Flora’ and ‘Belle’ our beautiful 5m Lotus Belle Tents, each come with their very own secret gardens,” it continued.

“Kitted out with all your creature comforts – freshly made double bed, sofa bed, tea and coffee facilities, and headroom the entire way around (18 square metres), plush shower room, loo, wash up area (just 10 metres away), and a private secret gardens for you to rest, relax and play in.”

Secret Garden Glamping has 30 reviews on booking.com stretching back to May 2022 with an average score of 8.9 out of 10.

NFDC is expected to make a decision on the application before 6th March.

Find out about planning applications that affect you at the Public Notice Portal.