Plan for wellness centre with luxury accommodation near South Molton

A ‘wellness retreat’ where families can stay in converted shipping containers in the South Molton countryside and look at worms, mushrooms and bees could be on the way.

North Devon Council planning officers are expected to decide the fate of a plan by Arthur Daw for the three self-catering holiday pods and attached decking at Yeo Farm, Molland.

The applicant says the proposal is to provide luxury accommodation for families and small groups.

“The experience is aimed to offer a wellness retreat, with opportunities to learn about wormeries, bees, mushrooms, chickens and different types of medicinal seeds and plants,” he says.

Water for the composting toilets’ system would be stored in (1,000 litre containers and topped up by the nearby water supply when they run low.

Drinking water and water for the kitchen would be bought in and stored in cool boxes.

The attraction won’t operate in periods of dry weather when no water is available.

The council’s sustainability officer has asked for a detailed landscape plan or specifications which would demonstrate that the retreat would result in a biodiversity net gain or that the development could be fully understood in its open countryside setting.