Seven holiday lodges will be built next to a Traveller site in Overseal - despite concerns about them becoming permanent homes.

The scheme, submitted by Shaun Calladine, will see the lodges and a new lake built next to a site known as The Conifers in Park Road.

At a South Derbyshire District Council meeting last week, councillors gave near-unanimous approval to the plans.

Steffan Saunders, the council's head of planning, told the meeting that there would be a condition attached to the plans that they could not be used as permanent homes, and that a log would be kept to keep track of how long people stay.

He said the parish council had objected but that the National Forest Company and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust both supported the scheme.

Mr Saunders said the lodges would be clad in timber.

Cllr Amy Whelton told the meeting: "It is not in the Local Plan – a blueprint for future development – it is a countryside location, it is not sustainable and is not well-designed.

"I don't feel this is the right place for it. It is not converting an existing building, not reversible and not well-designed, so I am struggling with this."

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Cllr Trevor Southerd said: "I am alarmed that they are using the cabins on the other side of the road as examples of what will be built because they are permanent homes.

"If they are concrete buildings or on concrete bases then they can't be removed."

Cllr Peter Watson said: "In my opinion this is an excellent use of a tourist attraction on what is a piece of derelict land as an attractive place for people to stay on holiday.

"I don't think as a council we can assess the economic viability of the scheme, unless it is crass stupidity. I think it is a superb idea."

Cllr Wheelton said: "I do not believe that this is sustainable tourist accommodation."

The National Forest remains critical in its comments to the council over the plans, but agreed planting and measures to make the scheme sustainable have been made into conditions as part of the application, at their advice.

Meanwhile, the parish council felt the scheme represented "creeping development", because the site "started with a single caravan".

This refers to an adjacent site which initially had planning permission for one caravan.

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Planning officers write: "The proposed units are timber lodges and not caravans, which will create a different feel that is more in keeping with the local landscape.

"The closest neighbours to the site are located at the adjacent caravan park The Conifers, however, it is acknowledged that there is sufficient distance and landscaping between the sites to enable the sites to operate independently of each other, and it is not anticipated that the use of the holiday lodges would detrimentally impact the amenity of the residents of the caravan park."