The Parkdean West Bay Holiday Park is to add an extra 16 glamping pitches to its Forty Foot Way site.

The company said it will result in the loss of some spaces on the existing touring field but is expected to result in an increase in visitors. It says there is a high demand for glamping pitches as the holiday market has changed over recent years.

The site is on the northwest corner of the park which the company says will mean the Safari tent plots, each with a decking area and an individual parking space, will be screened by existing hedgerows.

Said the application to Dorset Council: "It is necessary to develop the business in line with market demand and keep up with the current holidaying trends in the South West. The current demand being an increase in the frequency of short breaks in the UK taken throughout the year, as opposed to a couple of week-long holidays a year. Also the new trend towards 'glamping' which will be in the form of Safari tents offering accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping."

Each of the tents will be on a timber base with a double and a single bed, a small kitchen, dining and lounge area with outdoor seating on decking, and with shared shower and toilet facilities nearby.

All of the tents will face south with what the company say will be 'generous spacing' to allow for privacy and views with a parking space alongside each tent.

Symondsbury parish council unanimously supported the application that Dorset councillors approved at their recent area planning committee.

Five public objections had been lodged with worries about increased noise from the site, concerns that the tents might become permanent and that the loss of touring spaces might lead to additional campervans and caravans parking up in local car parks.

One objector said the tents would be very visible when approaching West Bay and a further incursion into the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.