Holiday cabins and arrivals hub plan for Snettisham Park farm

Four holiday cabins could be built in a deer park at Snettisham if borough planners agree.

It is part of ongoing diversification for owners of Snettisham Park, which is popular for its deer safaris.

The site had permission granted last year for a campsite and a dog exercise field.

The new application to West Norfolk Council asks to build two cabins for couples, two family units and convert a barn into an 'arrivals hub' on the deer park, off St Thomas Lane.

The planning statement accompanying the application says the units will sit alongside the deer park and the safaris.

It describes them as "new, sustainable and high-quality" holiday accommodation "as part of a farm diversification strategy".

It describes Snettisham Park is a small, family-run farm which has had to diversify and adapt in order to remain independent and viable and says: “The reduction, and planned removal of, the basic payment scheme has meant that all small farms need to review their revenue streams again and consider how to remain viable."

The visitor centre at Snettisham Park was started in the late 1980s by Mr and Mrs Stanton as a diversification project by the farm, initially offering deer safaris and expanding over the years to encompass a range of activities and buildings. This has now been separated off from the farm business.

As well as the new cabins – with two single units and two double - the plan proposes the refurbishment and modest extension of the existing redundant barn to provide a small, communal ‘arrivals hub’. This hub would provide the greeting point for new guests and serve as an on-site facility for use by guests at the cabins.

Outside, the hub would provide cycle hire and parking for the cabins, a sun terrace and a small ‘lap’ swimming pool.