Naturist club member ordered to take down structure

A member of a naturist group has been ordered to remove an "inappropriate" structure from the grounds of the private club.

The Nottingham Sun Club member had put up the four-metre high glamping structure in the grounds of Newstead Abbey Park, which Gedling Borough Council said went against planning rules.

According to the authority, the structure had been in place, over a decked area, for three years.

At a planning committee meeting on Wednesday, councillors unanimously voted to authorise enforcement action.

Nottingham Sun Club is a private naturist club featuring wooden chalets, tennis courts, camping space and a clubhouse pavilion.

Its history dates back as far as the 1930s, according to the club’s website, and today it has a heated swimming pool and saunas, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Council officer Nigel Bryan said the structure was “considered to be inappropriate and out of character with the area”.

The authority said the person who owned the structure considered it to be “nothing more than a temporary tent not requiring planning permission” and that it should be treated the same as a tent.

But the council argued that the structure had fitted kitchen units and double-glazed doors among other "elements that would not generally be associated with one".

According to the LDRS, the council also said the structure had been a permanent feature during the three years it had been up.

It must now be removed.

Nottingham Sun Club has been contacted for comment.

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