A COUPLE behind an eco-dome camping site which use 'glass domes' to house guests have moved to reassure people that the site is not being turned into a 'concrete jungle'.

Lavender Parc at Underlane in Carnkie near Helston has described itself as ‘Cornwall’s first open air hotel’.

But concerns had been raised that the pods had been put up without planning permission and would change the shape of the village.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “They’re trying to change the whole shape of an agricultural village.

People live in a rural area because they enjoy the countryside. Stay in Truro if you want a concrete jungle, don’t come into the sticks and cover the greenfield with holiday lets.”

Falmouth Packet:

However Keira, the new owner of the site near the cricket club who runs it along with her partner Alex, told the Packet that because the bubbles are like a tent they don't actually need planning permission and can be taken down very quickly.

"There's is nothing to be concerned about as they can be removed within an hour," she told the Packet. "They take longer to put up than to bring them down, my partner took one down in two hours and that was in the rain.

Keira and Alex, who currently live in Truro, only acquired the land a few weeks ago for their new venture. They purchased the site, which includes three fields with two public pathways, after lockdown meant they weren't able to trade in their existing businesses.

Falmouth Packet:

"We have three fields with two public pathways," said Keira. "We are working with Cornwall Wildlife Trust to make the land more bio-diverse. "We have actually planted 8 acres of wild flower meadow to encourage the bee and pollinator population. Sue Hocking from the Wildlife Trust is going to talk to us. We want to make it prettier and the wetlands are really lovely through there."

They have had a meeting with Duchy College about bringing its students to come down as part of a project set by the college as part of the agriculture and horticultural aspects of the course to study the meadows and the wetlands. A third private field will be where they will be putting green houses.

"We both had existing businesses but during the lockdown they weren't able to trade" said Keira. "So this was something that came about during lockdown and we just wanted to do something a bit different really although I worked in tourism for a long time and my business was meeting people face to face.

"We've had lots of enquiries, but most of the people that want to come and stay with us are from Cornwall. It's for couples only or for mother and daughter because you can only put two people in there. It's for people who just want to come on a short break really.

"There's lots of local interest for a special occasion or just having a break away from normal day to day life. It's so beautiful here you can see the Milky-Way at night and they have a telescope in there so they can use it because they are very clear geo-diametric domes."

To ensure the occupants' privacy curtains are provided as well as separate showers and loos.

The domes are like green houses but they do have ventilation systems. In the winter people use them as green houses.