Ickleton: Riverside Barns blocked from keeping tipi tents

The owners of Riverside Barns, in Frogge Street, said the tipi tents were helping to support the independent shops and café also based at the site.

However, South Cambridgeshire District Council opposed the plans - claiming the scale of the events business using the tipi tents would be "significant", but that the site itself was in an "unsustainable location".

Bower Developments Ltd, which owns the barns, said the site had been deteriorating in the years before they took over.

In planning documents submitted to the district council they explained that they began investing and regenerating the site after they took it over in 2022.

As part of this regeneration the owners of the site said they put up three canvas tipi tents, 7.4 metres tall at the highest point.

The owners said the tipi tents provided space for under-cover picnics when it was raining, and provided a space to hold private events, such as weddings and wakes.

They explained that they had believed they could put up the tipi tents without formal planning permission due to permitted development rights for temporary buildings - and they did not know that for these rights to apply the tipi tents would need to be taken down between events.

The plans said: "It is no small task removing and re-erecting these tipis and added to this the applicant has found the tipis to be popular and would therefore like them to remain permanently, to be used for occasional entertainment functions and when not, to offer cover for picnics etc, for general visitors to the site.

“The addition of these tipis since their introduction has helped to contribute to the more favourable trading conditions of the other businesses on site and therefore they contribute to the local economy by virtue of their continued presence.”

Concerns about the plan to keep the tipi tents up permanently were raised by Ickleton Parish Council, who were worried the tipis would lead to the site becoming an events venue.

It also said the tipi tents were an “intensification of development”, which the parish council argued was “incompatible with its location in the countryside”.

Planning officers said they recognised the benefits the tipi tents had for the shops based at the site.

However, they said the benefits of the tents did not outweigh the harms.

The officers said: “The scale of the events business would be significant and result in incremental growth in an unsustainable location.”

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Planning officers added that “insufficient information” had been provided by the owners about the “nature of the events business”.

They also highlighted that a noise impact assessment had not been submitted to show the events would not create an “unacceptable increase in the level of noise and disturbance” for neighbours.

Officers said there was also “insufficient information” within the flood risk assessment to show the development would “not significantly increase the risk of flooding to the site and surrounding area”.