We got it!

Sam Hardwick posted this on 30th Mar 2011

Yesterday the planning committee at Harrogate Borough Council voted unanimously in favour of the scheme.

The application was presented and discussed at the planning committee meeting yesterday afternoon in an impressive room with dark wood and leather seating in the middle of the council offices in Harrogate. After considered and detailed discussion the committee voted unanimously in favour. This is a real encouragement to the scheme!  We have found many people in favour of the scheme including the Nidderdale AONB, Yorkshire Forward and Welcome to Yorkshire (www.yorkshire.com). Indeed most people that hear of the vision find it exciting. It is really encouraging to hear that the ultimate decision makers are in favour of the scheme… All of them!  We still have a long way to go, but this is a significant piece of the jigsaw now in place. 

Please join us in this journey!

Did someone say caravans?

Sam Hardwick posted this on 28th Mar 2011

It seems that many have interpreted Fridays Gazette article announcing “Holiday park set to be approved” to mean Caravans! ... oh dear. We’d have to camouflage them… like this budding Ray Mears…

The phrase “Holiday Park” isn’t particularly helpful when applied to the vision we have for this site! If only these reporters would get in touch! All of our accommodation is handmade and sustainable… I’m hesitant to call them ‘eco lodges’ and ‘eco tents’... but they are wonderfully environmentally sound, built using natural materials, many of which will travel less than 30 miles to be with us. We don’t do plastic nor cheap… we’re about high quality craftsmanship with the highest environmental conscience.  Caravans indeed.

We’re in the local paper!

Sam Hardwick posted this on 26th Mar 2011

With the planning agenda going live on the Harrogate Borough Council website, we’ve attracted a little more attention.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62693815@N03/6276688407/sizes/l/in/photostream/

The Ripon Gazette printed a small article on Friday. I have attached a pdf of the article to the bottom of this note.

For those that have just found this project; we are hoping to build a sustainable holiday site, built across two adjacent sites in the village of Ilton, just outside Masham; High Knowle (farm) and the Druids Plantation (home to the Druid’s Temple). We submitted a planning application in June 2010 and after nine months of discussions and refining the proposals, the application is due for determination on Tuesday 29th March.

If you would like any more information on the project, please don’t hesitate to get in touch; our office number here is 01765 535020.

Seven Day Countdown!

Sam Hardwick posted this on 22nd Mar 2011

We now have confidence that the planning decision will be made in just seven days time! – Tuesday 29th March 2011, 2pm.

It has been an incredible journey and this is the next big milestone. We approached the landlords here at the Swinton Estate back in the spring of 2009… now two years ago! Over the last two years we have set up the relationship with Swinton and been in continued discussions with the AONB and the local planning authority. The planning application was completed and finalised in June last year and submitted to the council. We have then been in very detailed discussions with the council since then… the planning application will have been live for nine months when we hear the final outcome.

Although the journey has been incredibly hard work, it has also been very rewarding!  It’s very reassuring that the council and their supporting consultees have approached our project with the level of attention and diligence that they have.  I genuinely believe that the planning process has refined and shaped the proposal into something even more sympathetic and attuned to its surroundings. The final set of plans are really exciting… they look and feel real… I look at the site and ‘see it’ in its finished form. - let’s hope it goes through! – I can’t wait to get building.

We’ll keep you updated!

Earthquake at The Bivouac Swinton!

Sam Hardwick posted this on 04th Jan 2011

We had an Earthquake last night and the whole house shook! – Amazing.

I went online first thing this morning to get the grid reference of the epicentre… it turns out that it is right underneath us… literally just three miles away! Take a look at this pdf from the British Geological Survey showing the details.

Happy New Year!

Gearing up for the winter!

Sam Hardwick posted this on 27th Nov 2010

So… she arrived in June and it was love at first sight!  ... however, the MOT was due in August and then my love waned a little.

But the dream stayed alive! – I was looking for the smallest, lightest 4x4 that I could buy… something that would be very fuel efficient and competent in thick snow… I didn’t mind if I had to adapt it a bit.

I settled on a classic 999cc Fiat Panda 4x4. It turned out that it was so cheap because much of the floor had rotted out… yep… we we’re looking at more welding than most garages would do in a year.  So I got in touch with my uncle who is a 4x4 expert… he’s got several and is gifted with vehicles… especially welding.  After a full weld-up, service, new door, brake strip-down and rebuild, spotlights, Lancia rally alloys and wide tyres (oh, and MOT, insurance and tax of course)... we’re ready for the winter.

I might look like bit of a Wally but I’m pretty sure it is the most environmentally friendly 4x4 in Yorkshire.  And the physics of this little beast means that I stand more chance than most when driving over ice to get to The Bivouac HQ!

Yorkshire Life Magazine - December

Sam Hardwick posted this on 23rd Nov 2010

Our keen followers will know that we haven’t yet got planning permission. Thanks for your continued interest; we’re hoping for a decision sometime in December.

Many of you will also know that we are working closely with the Swinton Estate and their senior team in bringing this vision into a reality. We’re really excited about the partnership and it has enabled a scheme to come together which is rich with detail, linking into many aspects of estate activity.

Felicity Cunliffe-Lister at Swinton has recently been interviewed by Yorkshire Life Magazine and this has been printed in the December issue.  This interviewer (as many do) has edited Felicity’s comments a little and in doing so has slightly over-stated our current position in the project!

The text in the magazine reads “The temple is a fantastic site which we’re keen to protect for future generations. In fact, we’ve just started developing “glamping” accommodation and café facilities there for spring 2011”.  While I would be delighted if this was the case, we are, of course, still waiting for the planning decision.

We have worked extremely hard to design a sensitive scheme for the site and are hopeful that permission will be granted, but we are also respectful of the planning process and confirm that we’ve not yet started any development work; indeed we don’t intend to until full planning has been granted and other preparatory work can be completed.

Sorry for any confusion that might have been caused!

As always, we’re more than happy to chat any time… just give us a call!

Sam. 01765 535020.

Go Beyond!

Sam Hardwick posted this on 02nd Oct 2010

The Go Beyond runners have pitched their halfway station at the end of The Bivouac driveway and we’ve had dozens of endurance runners coming through the farm!

It’s a lovely day here at High Knowle in Yorkshire. I have been out all morning mountain biking and when I came back up the lane there was a running check-in station set up at the entrance to the farm! I’ve grabbed a couple of photos and have checked them out online. They are an endurance running outfit called ‘Go Beyond’ and they are running the Ripon Rowel walk in a day. The guys at the check-in station tell me that the Go Beyond team are checking it out and might incorporate the event in to their annual calendar. - It would be great to see this come through every year. Check out their video too.

http://gobeyondultra.co.uk/go_beyond/go_beyond_ultra