Go-ahead for large tepee in grounds of Herefordshire hotel

A Herefordshire hotel has got the go-ahead to put up a large “tepee” for outdoor dining.

The 17.4m (57ft) high conical structure will stand for 10 months a year on rear lawn of the Colwall Park Hotel in the middle of Colwall.

It will be of a natural light brown colour, “less bulky” than a marquee, and screened by trees and hedges, the hotel’s planning application said.

Installing it will help the hotel recover from the “severe impact” of Covid-19, it explained.

“Not only is outdoor dining more likely to be allowed as restrictions are relaxed, but it is also in demand by customers who are naturally cautious about returning to indoor settings.”

A similar earlier bid was granted permission, but only on condition that it be taken down between December and March inclusive.

In its resubmission, the hotel asked for the tepee to remain standing in December and March also, only coming down in January and February. This has now been granted.

However any lighting installed in the tepee must be separately approved, and no music can be played within it. The number of guests it can accommodate has been capped at 100.

Herefordshire Council’s permission for the tepee will expire at the end of 2024, “to enable further consideration of the acceptability of the proposed use after the temporary period has expired”.