HOLIDAY yurts in a Christchurch wood have received planning permission despite local complaints about noise.
The four, soon to be five, tents are set up in woodland on Sopley Farm, around Sopley Lake, and are intended to provide a ‘glamping’ experience for families and couples.
Forest Yurts was set up last year as a way of supplementing the income of the farm, one of the few remaining pick-your-own fruit and veg farms in the area.
The retrospective application was originally to be dealt with by officers, but was called to the borough planning committee by Burton parish councillors, due to local concerns about excessive noise and late-night music.
Last week Christchurch councillors approved the site with a condition that no music is played between 11pm and 11am.
Forest Yurts manager André Le Tissier said: “We are delighted to have received permission.
“We think we have created something really great here, and our customers agree, and it benefits a lot of local businesses through food supplies and services.
“We are quite happy with the noise condition imposed as the issue some people were having with noise wasn’t anything to do with us anyway.
“There is no electricity at the yurts, and they are targeted at families, so there isn’t much noise and we wouldn’t want it either.
“It is a stunning location, and what families appreciate about it is being close to nature and away from laptops and video games.”
The applicants submitted 75 letters of support for the proposal from yurt users to the committee.
Yurts are a form of tent originally used by Mongol farmers as they were both very warm and easily portable. The circular tents are about 3m tall and 6.6m in diameter.
The Sopley Farm Yurts have beds, woodburners for heating, and cooking and washing facilities. They will be taken down during the winter.
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