Plans to install eight glamping pods at a farm near Burnham-On-Sea have been refused by Somerset Council amid concerns over flooding risk and the impact on the local landscape.
Sharon Ward of Elm Tree Farm in Mark submitted the proposal earlier this year to place the pods in a field off Southfield Road in the hamlet of Southwick.
The scheme aimed to use 30 existing parking spaces on site and included flood mitigation measures such as raising the pods by one metre and implementing a formal evacuation plan.
However, Somerset Council has turned down the application, stating the location was “inappropriate” and the development would not constitute “sustainable development.”
The authority added that the proposal would cause “material harm to the character and appearance of the area” and was “inconsistent with the site’s immediate and wider landscape character.”
The site lies within Flood Zone Three, and the council said there was “insufficient information” to confirm the safety of the development over its lifetime, especially given its proximity to the Bristol Channel, nearly six kilometres away.
Local residents voiced their opposition, with eight formal objections submitted. One warned of “high levels of pollution and noise disruption” from increased traffic, while another highlighted the lack of nearby amenities within walking or cycling distance.
The refusal follows a separate planning bid last year to raise land levels by three metres for orchard creation on adjacent land—also rejected due to lack of supporting evidence.
