Apps Court Farm campsite approved

A new campsite in Walton has been given the green light after councillors deemed it to be within the remit of green belt allowance.

The Elmbridge Borough council was issued with a request to allow long-term recreational camping on the Apps Court Farm, currently used as a park and ride for six weeks of the year for the Hampton Court Flower Show.

The plans were originally opposed as the campsite would be on greenbelt land, however the council declared that with it being used for outdoor recreation it was an "appropriate use within the green belt."

Under current plans, the 3.8 hectare site will house 168 plots, with 120 of these being basic camping plots to be used year-round by members of the public. The remaining 48 will be "formal" plots north of a quad biking trail thought to house the caravans currently residing on the farmland.

Plans were originally opposed as campaigners thought the moving of current caravans to storage whilst the campsite is created before being moved back would impact too much on the greenbelt land. They also proposed that the area already contained a non-recreational campsite and should therefore be cleared.

The petition received just nine signatures, however, and the council deemed temporary moving of caravans as having little impact on the land, whilst using the 48 designated plots to house them in the long term.