Objection to Lerwick glamping plan over memorial garden concerns
PLANS for a glamping pod in Lerwick should be thrown out because of its proximity to a baby loss memorial, according to two neighbours.
A planning application has been lodged to build a glamping pod with double bed, toilet and kitchen in the town’s Twageos Road.
But two people who live in Gressy Loan have objected to the application because of its closeness to the Louise Hughson baby memorial garden and Knab cemetery.
The garden is found within the extension to the Knab cemetery in Lerwick, and allows those who have experienced the loss of their baby to honour and remember them.
Shetland Sands, which provides local support to grieving parents and families, has previously directed people to the garden if they want to create a memorial for a loved one.
It is maintained by Shetland Islands Council.
The pair wrote to the council in a joint letter saying it would be “entirely inappropriate” and “highly disrespectful” to grieving parents and families to build a glamping pod within the vicinity of the memorial garden.
They said this was “a residential area and not a camping/glamping area”.
And they accused the applicant of failing to show how close the garden is on their application, and said a site inspection by council planners would “clearly show how inappropriate the proposed development is”.
The pair also said there was “very little set-back from our home” with the plans, which was “unacceptable”.
Lerwick Community Council was asked to consult on the plans earlier this week, and offered no objections to the glamping pod proposal.
However another neighbour has also objected to the plans.
She wrote that she was concerned about the potential for “noise nuisance” which may come from the glamping pod.
“Twageos Road is tranquil, which is why I moved to this location,” she said.
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“I can enjoy the peace of my home and garden at all times.”
It comes as the prevalence of glamping pods in the isles continues to grow, with applications for four west of Grutquouy, near Walls, approved by council planners at the start of this year.
Another two outside the Westings Inn, on Shetland’s West Mainland, have also been given the green light recently.
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