A COUPLE who tried their hand at running a campside on their land near Hatherleigh over the summer have applied to West Devon Borough Council for planning permission to make it a permanent operation.

Victoria Bonass and Stephen Whitehead are seeking planning permission for the low impact campsite at Passaford Meadow, grid reference SS 539 036.

In their application 4117/22/FUL, they state: ‘Our plan for Passaford Meadow is to enhance the existing natural character of the land while creating habitats for local wildlife through planting trees, rewilding parts of the land and creating areas for wildflowers. We are looking to establish a simple “traditional” campsite which will have off grid facilities including compost toilets and solar lighting. We have had some success with this through August 2022 when we opened the campsite to guests and welcomed 21 campers (total of 32 paid nights) with two bookings (of a total of 28 guests) rejected due to noise concerns.’

A number of campers had meals at the pub or cafe in Hatherleigh, walking or cycling into town. ‘Many of the campers commented on the fact that they chose our campsite because of its proximity to the town and its facilities,’ reported the owners. ‘We received positive feedback about the warm welcome at the pubs and the food.’ Comments are invited on the application by January 12.

Also, the A30BC business centre at Higher Stockley Mead near Okehampton is seeking a Certificate of Lawfulness for their already operational geothermal heating system providing renewable energy to heat and light the building. This is a formality, to provide proof for a government subsidy.

In Tavistock, meanwhile, an application (4259/22/FUL) has been submitted for change of use of the ground floor at 5 Brook Street from retail unit to beauty parlour. This will allow the business already operating on the top two floors, No 5 Aesthetic and Beauty Clinic, to expand.