Residents call for tighter pop-up campsite rules
BBCThe fear of noise and smell from a planned pop-up campsite at a Lake District beauty spot, along with worries about the effect on wildlife, has prompted a group of residents to call for stricter controls.
People living in Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, said they were shocked to discover a site opening at Bordriggs Farm did not require planning permission.
They are calling for the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) to change the rules so temporary campsites have to go through the planning process. The authority said it would consider the issue.
Site owner Bordriggs Farm (Windermere) Limited said the campsite could help tackle illegal fly camping.
Planning rules allow temporary campsites for tents to be set up in England without planning permission, known as permitted development, for up to 42 consecutive days or fewer than 60 days in a year.
Sarah Wilson, who lives near the site, said she was shocked this meant it could go ahead without scrutiny.
"I put my objections in but then discovered it was a notification - it didn't matter what we said and it was going to go ahead anyway," she said.
Information submitted to LDNPA said up to 50 tents, campervans or motorhomes at a time would be able to camp.
The planning inspectorate rejected plans to build five houses on the site last year after an appeal.
It found that concerns about harm to the setting of the Grade II listed Bordriggs Farmhouse outweighed the public benefit of new housing.
Rules a 'loophole'
Chris Plumb, who will have to drive through the campsite to access his home, said the group supported camping, but regulation was needed for safety reasons.
"Issues like fire, waste, water, public health and noise [need] to be properly addressed and that's not happening," he said.
"It's a loophole in the law."
Carolyn Jenson, one of the site's owners, said she grew up locally and looking after the area was important to her family.
"The last thing I want to do is cause any damage to the area," she said.
Jenson has holiday accommodation nearby and said the firm would not do anything to damage its existing business.
She added a warden would be available to handle any safety or behaviour issues with campers, and noise monitoring devices and four temporary toilets would be in place.
The group said LDNPA should bring in an Article 4 direction which could force pop-up sites to go through the planning process.
The New Forest National Park Authority introduced the measure in 2022 to bring camping "under a degree of control".
LDNPA said it received 47 notifications for temporary campsites to operate during 2026.
But authority planners said, in an email seen by the BBC, that they did not have "sufficient compliance staff to actively monitor" sites and relied on reports from the public.
Andrew Smith, head of development at LDPNA, said this site was not the only one to have been raised with the authority.
"We have also received multiple requests for an Article 4 direction to be served," he said.
"We will be considering this issue further over the coming months."
A petition set up by residents has been signed by more than 1,000 people.
