Council / Glamping applicant defends plans after more objections to Lerwick pod
THE APPLICANT behind plans to build a glamping pod in Lerwick’s Twageos Road has defended the project after more objections were lodged.
Four neighbours have now written to the council’s planning department calling for them to throw out the application.
The majority have cited its proximity to the Louise Hughson baby memorial garden as reasons for their objections to the glamping pod, which would include a double bed, toilet and kitchen.
Two people from Gressy Loan wrote to the council 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.
But applicant Kate Wills – who says she has lived in the area for 12 years – wrote in a letter to the planning service that she was “horrified that anyone would consider that I would be disrespectful of it”.
“I have visited the Louise Hughson Memorial Garden many times personally and have taken my children to play with boats in its pond,” she said.
“We have cleaned litter from the garden and particularly the pond where litter congregates after a storm.”
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.
Wills said the glamping pod would predominantly be used by her family.
“I will however have to recoup the costs of building the pod and therefore intend to rent it out to appropriate persons whilst I do that,” she added.
She said she was “acutely aware of the needs of the area”, and “frequently kept noise to a minimum”.
The applicant also said she had not taken her car out when there had been funerals in the area or when people were visiting the memorial garden.
“I am respectful of my neighbours and have enjoyed excellent relationships with them – visiting regularly, sharing food and even being a responder for their community alarm when needed,” she said.
“The plan for the pod is to provide a tranquil and affordable place for people to relax in when needed – it is therefore perhaps of particular appeal to grieving families who could combine this with a visit to the memorial garden/graveyard.
“I am a considerate neighbour who has enjoyed positive relationships with those in the area and I hope that I can continue to do so with new residents to the area in future.”
Shetland News reported earlier this month that Lerwick Community Council had decided not to object to the plans.
That came after two separate objections were lodged, with one pair accusing Wills of failing to show how close the garden is on the application.
They said a site inspection by council planners would “clearly show how inappropriate the proposed development is”.
Wills defended herself in her response, saying there had been “no attempt to deceive anyone as to the proximity of the memorial garden to the proposed glamping pod.”
Another two objections have been lodged with council planners since the previous story, both of whom refer to the memorial garden as their reason for asking for it to be refused.
One wrote that the baby memorial garden is where “parents/families can grieve and remember the loss of their babies”, and that the glamping pod “will take this away from them”.
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