Wild Camping Approved at Harkstead

JBPL have been very pleased to help a local landowner try and make the most of the opportunities that COVID-19 presented. The client and their family had for some time been considering diversifying different parts of their farmstead around Nether Hall in Harkstead, and the pandemic brought about an opportunity to consider camping on part of the land. The key to success was going to be balancing impacts on the village and the AONB, with benefits to the wider area.

Early discussions with Babergh District Council Planning Officers; the AONB Officer; and the local community, paved the way for a sensible compromise between assisting with local leisure and tourism, whilst restricting any impacts on the immediate area. The result was an application for 6x wild camping pitches, and 4x shepherds huts, on a sustainable site, that achieved a delegated approval from Babergh District Council.

It is understood the Nether Hall Farm wild camping experience is now clearing for take-off, and the location is well worth a ‘staycation’.