WALKERS and families love the secluded woodland camping at the Sustainability Centre at East Meon.

Its peaceful, low-impact campsite, which features traditional pitches for tents as well as popular tipis and yurts for a spot of ‘glamping’, has been running successfully since 2009.

So, it came as some surprise to the centre to be told it may need retrospective planning permission for its campsite.

Planners at East Hampshire District Council (EHDC)?asked for a pre planning application to be put in and this was received by the South Downs National Park Authority from the eco centre last week.

The Sustainability Centre’s chief executive Christine Seaward, who has been in the post four years, said she always thought the site was covered by ‘existing use’.

She was surprised to be told she may need planning permission, but doesn’t anticipate any problems.

“I am going to see the planning officer for this area next week,” she said.

“They came to see us at the end of the camping season last year. I am not sure what prompted the visit.”

A spokesman for EHDC?said a meeting to determine whether the centre needed to make a retrospective application would be held.

“The reason is that the centre has started to advertise as a commercial campsite for people to go on holiday there, whereas previously it was more for people taking courses there.”

The campsite is very much part of the ethos of the centre, with solar-heated showers and compost toilets, cars banned from the campground and locally-sourced firewood sold.

Campers are encouraged to recycle with appropriate bins provided.

They are also asked to respect the woodland and not to gather firewood and kindling from the site in order to preserve the natural habitat for wildlife.

The main camping area accommodates six family-sized (six berth) tents, two pitches for single person tents, and there are a further four pitches in secluded bays.

‘Willow’ and ‘Forget-Me-Not’ fit a six-berth family tent, while ‘Hazel’ and ‘Yew’ bays are more tucked away.

“It’s very much off-grid camping, popular with families and people who walk the South Downs Way,” said Christine.

Guests on residential courses at the centre also enjoyed staying there.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

Visit www.sustainability-centre.org/camping for more information.