Nudist to be told to take down 'tent' with fitted kitchen, double glazing and boiler at Newstead Abbey Park naturism venue

The man is a member at The Nottingham Sun Club – a private leisure facility located within Newstead Abbey Park.

He says the structure has been up in the camping area of the site for the last three years and he considers it no more than just a tent.

But Gedling Council disagrees and the matter will now be discussed by the planning committee this Thursday (June 5).

Council papers say ‘the construction is a glamping structure’, that there ‘has been a building operation on the site to facilitate the construction of the structure, the structure is not moveable and has a sufficient degree of permanence to be considered operational development’.

Papers continued: “There are no permitted development rights applicable to the leisure use of the land and therefore the construction of the structure is development requiring planning permission.

Papers say the man considers the development to be nothing more than a temporary ‘tent’ not requiring planning permission and that in his opinion the ‘tent’ should be treated the same as any other tent pitched up on the site.

Meeting papers add that the man says the structure has been constructed with the intention of it being a ‘tent’, the structure has a canvas roof and has been constructed around a metal frame which is only positioned upon the ground and held down by guide ropes.

Documents continued: “In this regard the structure does have some similarities to a traditional tent.

"However, the structure contains other elements that would not generally be associated with a ‘tent’.

"Of particular note are the timber support post, the solid internal walls, the fitted kitchen units, the double-glazed doors and the integrated boiler heating system.

“In this regard it is considered that the structure is not simply a temporary tent.

"This structure has been fully constructed on site.

"There are attached glazed doors, walls and a boiler, all of which have been brought onto the site and assembled together to create a new form of development.

"To move the structure, it would need to be fully dismantled and then reconstructed in any alternative position.

"The structure’s owner has indicated that to take it down and rebuild it elsewhere might take a whole weekend.

"This is a building operation and therefore the council are of the opinion that it is operational development.”

Papers add that there are no permitted development rights applicable to the land in question.

The papers go on: “The council is satisfied that the structure is operational development and therefore planning permission is required.

"Planning permission has never been sought and the development is therefore a breach of planning control.”

At Thursday’s meeting, committee members will be recommended to authorise council officers to ‘take all relevant planning enforcement action including the service of any necessary enforcement notices and issue of proceedings through the courts, if required, to ensure the removal of the unauthorised structure from the land’.