PLANS to add a caravan site to a Cotswold bed and breakfast have been refused by the council. 

An application to add a caravan site to Lowerfield Farm near Willersey has been refused by Cotswold District Council.

The plans would have seen pitches for up to 20 touring caravans (campervans and non-static caravans) on land adjacent to Lowerfield Farm. 

The bed and breakfast has been operating since 2007 and has received a TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award every year since, however the owners hoped to "expand their tourism offering" with the new site. 

The district council reached a decision on October 25 and said: "The proposed development would lead to additional vehicles including larger vehicles using substandard roads and through an access layout that has not been demonstrated to be suitable for the numbers and type of vehicles likely to use it.

"The proposed development is therefore considered to result in an unacceptable impact on highway safety.

"The Local Planning Authority has worked with the applicant in a positive and creative manner that improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area and in order to seek solutions to overcome the planning objections and the conflict with Development Plan Policy.

"Negotiations have, however, been unsuccessful in this case to achieve sustainable development."

In planning documents the owners of the B&B state it would like to offer 15 pitches for caravans and expand to 20 at peak times. 

The owners say: "We have run Lowerfield Farm as a very successful B&B since August 2007, extending the property in 2012 and steadily raising the quality of the accommodation we offer.

"We maintain good occupancy rates and income, a very high rate of return business, large numbers of overseas guests, and extremely positive reviews online and in inspections.

"We have decided that now would be a good time to diversify our business by operating a touring caravan site on part of our property.

"We obtained a Certified Location license for five caravans earlier in 2023 but would like to make the new venture more viable by creating a site for up to 20 vehicles – RVs, motorhomes and caravans.

"We would offer electric hook-ups to most of the pitches, and also sewage disposal facilities.

"We wish to install tracks and pitch sites with environmentally sympathetic matting to ensure that it is still useable in adverse weather conditions.

"We do not wish to allow long stays at the site, nor to have static caravans.

"The site will be called North Cotswolds Park."