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P04 - Peel Football Club Glamping - planning statement. October 2022 Proposal
This planning application is for the provision of pre-erected glamping tents to be used as temporary accommodation for TT visitors on the Peel Football Club site during TT 2023-2027 inclusive.
This application is to cover the TT festival period only and the proposed campsite will be in operation for 18 days only each year. The site has been operated as a campsite during the TT several times in the past, Planning Permissions 15/00025/C and 15/00858/C, but was unable to operate in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic and uncertainty remaining from the pandemic in 2022 leaving it too late to obtain planning permission.
The applicant is The Tommy Clucas Community Sports Hall, charity number 1239, which operates the sports hall at the site and has organised each of the previous years’ camping facilities.
The need for extra accommodation island-wide during TT is widely evidenced. Consistent demand for extra facilities in the West of the Island has led to the only other local campsite operated by Peel Commissioners being regularly oversubscribed in recent years.
This proposal goes one step further than simply selling pitches to campers. In response to growing demand identified by the operator and various TT travel partners, the site will be set up with preerected tents with beds and other fitments as a glamping operation, with the pitching and management of the site and guest bookings being sub-contracted to a third party operator.
The proposed initial operator for the site is Duke Events Ltd, part of the Duke Group - an established name in motorsport who has, since 2018, diversified into travel and package tour operation with Duke Travel Ltd. They have been appointed as an Approved Travel Partner of the TT.
The operator has been approved, under previous planning permissions, to temporarily operate up to 168 accommodation cabins on the Old Prison Site in Douglas. In 2019 and 2022 the ‘IOMTT Village’ was operated by the company safely, securely and successfully with high ratings from customers.
The proposed configuration is 100 tents designed for up to 6 persons arranged in rows with either 1, 2 or 4-beds. Most bookings are expected to be for 2 persons and average occupancy is expected to be in the 2.2 to 2.5-person range. A limit of 250 guests on site at any one time will be controlled via the booking system. The site has catered for camping guest numbers at this level previously and facilities have therefore proven sufficient for these numbers.
Operating Staff will be located on site with at least one person in attendance at all times. The sports hall and clubhouse will serve as reception, changing facilities and showers/toilets on the ground floor whilst the extension of the upstairs bar and function room area – due for completion in February 2023 – is an attractive and useful addition to the on-site facilities.
The sports hall and clubhouse will serve as reception, changing facilities and showers/toilets on the ground floor whilst the extension of the upstairs function room area – due for completion in February 2023 – is an attractive and useful addition to the on-site facilities.
Teas, coffees and light snacks will be available in the clubhouse function room area. The provision of breakfast will be outsourced to a suitably qualified catering provider either on site or nearby, where hot and cold food will be available. A guide to alternative food and catering suppliers in the area will also be provided.
In year one, the site would be operational from Friday 26th May to Monday 12th June 2023 inclusive with a set up period of 3 days and take-down of 2 days. Future years would follow a similar pattern with regard to the two-week TT festival period.
The clients for this accommodation will be a mix of bikers from UK & Europe, and short stayers, many of whom will be first-time TT visitors. Around 40% are expected to travel by air or as foot passengers on the ferry with 40-50% on bikes and the rest on 4-wheels.
During operation the site will be permanently manned by a full-time site manager, located on site, supplemented by housekeeping and reception staff. All tents will be serviced with onsite collection of laundry and refuse.
Low level solar-powered lighting will be utilised between the tents and in the area of the bike park (behind the northern goal line, along the perimeter of the road side hedge/fencing) whilst other mains lighting covers other areas.
Peel AFC will be responsible for providing and maintaining toilets and showers and will be responsible for arranging waste collection and disposal. The facilities include:-
Whilst many guests will arrive on foot and be transported to and from ports and vantage points for the races, or utilise either taxis or minibus arrangements, provision will be made for up to 100 motorcycles to park on the grassed surround of the football pitch with surface matting provided on key access pathways. The tarmac car park between the entrance and the main building will also accommodate up to 20 cars. The main bus route to all areas of the Island from Peel stops directly outside the ground with bus travel having been significantly used in previous years by campers at the site. The site is also a very short walking distance from the centre of Peel.
Whilst camping at the football club has been widely accepted in the past by local residents, and most welcomed by local traders, the operator proposes to communicate these proposals to the neighbours with a letter drop. Local traders have fed back to the charity that they felt a significant drop in business in TT2022 compared to previous years when camping was operated at the site, which it is hoped will be reversed if the application is successful.
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