A FARM campsite to the west of Weymouth is hoping to extend in time for the 2023 season.

The site, at East Shilvinghampton Farm, Portesham, just outside the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is asking Dorset Council to approve a change of use for farmland to become part of an existing campsite.

It has asked for eight self-contained one-bed holiday units, amended from an application which was turned down by the council last year, fearing it would ‘harm’ the views to and from the nearby AoNB.

Application papers say no additional staff are expected to be needed for the new application.

The proposal will result in ten additional parking spaces on the site, if approved.

Each of the flat-roofed holiday units will have its own bathroom and a veranda with a total floor area of 35 square metres.

A planning agent acting for the farm says the proposed holiday homes would be mostly screened by existing hedges and have been planned to be as inobtrusive as possible with flat roofs: “The low roof height of the units means that strategic planting within the site will break any straight lines from more distant public view, particularly from the distant Ridgeway. Rising ground to the south will ensure the development does not break any skyline views.”

The agent’s summary to the council concluded: “This extension to an existing tourist facility will have limited visual impact on the neighbouring Area Outstanding Natural Beauty but will provide a valuable asset to the local tourism economy providing employment opportunities and benefiting local businesses. It will also provide a long-term addition to the business diversity of this established farming enterprise.”

The application, reference 2022/06003, can be seen on the Dorset Council website with public comments open until December 2nd.

 

Illustration – Site location and how the proposed units might look