'Carry on camping? Not with strict enforcement policy of our council'

DORSET'S tourism sector is suffering by Dorset Council being 'overzealous' in applying habitat regulations according to outdoor company Pitch Up.

- TREVOR BEVINS Local democracy journalist

It says the council's approach, insisting on habitats regulation compliance for many applications, could mean many temporary campsites may not now be available for the summer.

Pitch Up founder Dan Yates, is also critical of delays in the council's planning and legal departments, which he claims are adding to the problems.

The situation has been raised previously by local site owners after several were not granted habitats regulation compliance earlier in the year, designed to protect valued nature sites including Poole Harbour, Dorset heathlands and The Fleet and Chesil.

Mr Yates says the authority is the only one in the UK out of a total of 364 to routinely demand a Habitats Regulations application before giving permission for a temporary campsite to be established.

He says popup camping and caravan sites are a popular seasonal diversification activity for many farmers struggling to make ends meet as farm incomes struggle.

The temporary sites are governed by Permitted Development Rights, which enable farmers and landowners to operate a temporary camping site for 60 days per year without needing extra planning permission.

But by insisting on a Habitats Regulations application for as many as half of temporary campsite proposals, farmers in Dorset face months of delays in being able to set up a campsite, as well as fees of up to £500.

According to Dan Yates, managing director of outdoor accommodation booking site Pitchup.com, this will have a 'chilling effect' on the number of temporary campsites in one of the most loved holiday destinations in the UK.