A TOURISM boom in Teesdale has led to a surge in enquiries from residents in the area about providing accommodation for visitors.
A freedom of information request has revealed all pre-planning talks held in County Durham from January last year until the middle of last month.
They include 32 separate discussions about creating and increasing holiday accommodation in the dale, possibly due to a rise in demand caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions abroad, as well as Barnard Castle’s new found fame.
These include a scheme at High Force Hotel, in Forest-in-Teesdale, to expand its accommodation with shepherd huts, tree lodges and campervan parking.
No formal planning application has been submitted for the scheme, but there have been talks about refurbishing the hotel’s car park and creating a new visitor centre. Managers at Cross Lanes Organic Farm Shop, near Barnard Castle, have also had early planning talks about creating a glamping site next to their award-winning shop and cafe off the A66.
The data release reveals the discussions would-be applicants have had with Durham County Council.
The talks, which can cost thousands of pounds for the applicant, may come to nothing, but they can often advise would-be developers and property owners of the requirements needed to achieve a thumbs up from planners.
Property owners of 35 Stainton, North Barnley at Eggleston, land to the north east of Jobs Lodge in Woodland, Bail Hill Road in Mickleton, East Corn Park in Baldersdale, Hunter House Farm in Kelton and land off the B6282 at Butterknowle have all had discussions about siting glamping pods or converting barns for holiday lets. There has even been talks about converting a former wartime observation post at Black Horse Terrace, Woodland, into a two-bedroom holiday let.
Enquiries on becoming certified camping locations able to accommodate up to five caravans have been made by property owners at Thornberry Lane in Bowes, Viewforth at Marwood and 298 Toft Hill Lane in Toft Hill.
Managers at Thorpe Farm caravan park, near Greta Bridge, looked into converting land to the north of their site for more static holiday units. Plans for a stopover location for up to five motorhomes on land south-west of a caravan storage facility at Glen Lyon, in Stainton Grove, have also been discussed. Several planning applications have been submitted for tourism schemes following pre-application discussions with Durham planners.
Charlotte Snowdon, from Hudegate Farm, in Middleton-in-Teesdale, has submitted plans to create a luxury glamping development on grazing land, reducing the number of pods from an initial ten to four.
Mark and Wendy Burton of Bowfield Farm, in Boldron, have applied to increase the number of caravan pitches from five to 15.
Among the 3,484 pre-application requests there were also talks on proposed housing development schemes around the dale including proposals for a major project at Camphill, on Copley Lane, Copley for 27 houses, seven bungalows and a retail unit.
Change of use enquiries looking at creating work-from-home businesses included plans to create a coffee roastery business on land to the north of Peace Cottage, in Stainton, a dog grooming salon at Castle Terrace, in Bowes, and turning a micro-brewery at Horsemarket, in Barnard Castle, into an antiques shop.
County Durham and Darlington Fire Rescue Service also discussed plans to create a road traffic collision training area at their Quad Emergency Hub on Wilson Street, in Barnard Castle.
Pre-planning applications are not normally revealed to the public as a matter of course but in the past Staindrop Parish Council has been among those to call for more transparency in the planning system.
