Kells could soon be upping the range of accommodation available in the area after a planning application was submitted for four new glamping units on Kilgad Road, Ballymena.
A separate planning application has been lodged in Mid and East Antrim for the erection of three holiday pods together with parking and associated site works, near Gartford Lane, Carnlough.
In recent years there has been a surge in demand for glamping.
Farmers and land owners diversifying to holiday letting in order to boost income, combined with money-savvy travellers looking to ‘holiday at home’, have seen number people looking to rent out glamping accommodation, including huts, pods, yurts and log cabins, rising by 56 per cent since 2019 in the UK.
The pandemic has no doubt contributed to this rise in interest with more people still looking to holiday in the UK after many plans were scuppered last year.
A report sent to planners in support of the Kells glamping pod site, ancillary building and bicycle store, says the borough of Mid and East Antrim is “underserved by Glamping accommodation”.
The report continues:
“The Kells / Moorfields area is a very advantageous holiday base to a visitor to Northern Ireland, being within a short distance to North Coast attractions, Lough Neagh and also the city of Belfast, at the same time being a rural peaceful landscape.
“My client wishes to host holiday makers who hope to enjoy this region as part of glamping holiday. The intention is to market the accommodation with a focus on cycling. The flat landscape and relatively quiet roads in the environs could be enjoyed by the cyclist.”
The report goes on to list a number of local amenities and attractions within travelling distance from the Kilgad Road site, including: Moorfields, Tardee Forest, Ballymena, Houston's Mill Park And Garden, Broughshane Waterfowl Park, Antrim Round Tower and Lough Neagh, Ecos Park, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Waterfoot
(Glens of Antrims), Belfast, Glenarm, and Giants Causeway/North Coast attractions.
The applications for both Kells and Carnlough will be considered by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee over the weeks ahead.