Train carriage and glamping pods off…

A railway carriage and three glamping pods could be the latest holiday destination in Middlesbrough. Plans submitted to the council seek permission for the “part-retrospective” siting of a railway carriage for use as holiday accommodation, along with the installation of three glamping pods and parking on land at Ryehill House, off of Brass Castle Lane.

A planning statement – prepared by Fahim Farooqui of Total Planning Solutions – explains that Ryehill House operates as an “established guest accommodation business”, known as Brass Castle Country House Accommodation. In family ownership for over 28 years, the firm has been operating for over seven years.

The proposal is described as a “modest extension and diversification of that established visitor accommodation use”.

This is not the first attempt to gain permission for railway-themed accommodation on the site. In 2020, councillors refused plans that council officers had recommended for approval, following objections received during the consultation process.

Members refused the development due to the “perceived impact of the railway carriage on the character and appearance of the area”, with the carriage previously described as an “alien feature”, says the latest planning statement.

The new application would see the train carriage in a different location, reducing its “visual prominence”. The applicant previously committed to purchasing the carriage, “on the basis of the officer recommendation for approval”, with it placed on site before June 2023.

Papers say: “The railway carriage is currently vacant and has not yet been converted for guest use. Following the grant of planning permission, it would be converted internally to provide two separate holiday accommodation compartments. Each compartment would include a combined living and bedroom area, bathroom and kitchen facilities.”

The glamping pods would provide “small scale visitor accommodation” and would “add variety to the existing accommodation offer”. The pods would comprise timber-clad capsule-style units with glazed entrance features to the front and side, papers add.

The bid, if successful, would “support the long-term resilience of the business, and contributes to local tourism, employment and visitor expenditure within Middlesbrough.”

North Yorkshire Moors Railway torism is cited, with the site also being “well placed” for travel by rail from Nunthorpe to Whitby.