Private dining pods at The Trentham Estate are being removed after a fight for planning permission was lost.
Five pods had been offering visitors of the tourist attraction’s Italian gardens a chance to enjoy coffee and pastries or afternoon tea from the comfort of their own exclusive area since Summer 2021.
They were erected under temporary permitted development rights to allow hospitality businesses to provide outdoor dining facilities in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and were located adjacent to the tearoom.
The polycarbonate pods – launched by catering specialist Totally Delicious, which runs the tearoom and Lakeside café in the gardens – have been closed throughout January for essential maintenance and they were planned to reopen this month.
A planning application to permanently retain the pods, a catering service unit and associated access and landscaping was turned down by Stafford Borough Council in October 2022 and an appeal against the decision has now been dismissed.
Work to remove the pods has already begun.
A planning inspector’s report details the history of the site, the abundance of listed buildings within the estate and the fact that it is in a conservation area. It says their significance would be reduced or diminished by the pods.
It reads: “I conclude that the pods and the service unit are prominent and incongruous additions which detract from their immediate surroundings and fail to relate to their context. As such, they diminish the significance of the gardens as a whole.”
Afternoon teas in the pods started from £25 per adult and a 90-minute sitting for eight guests during the Trentham Christmas Festival last year cost £200 for eight guests. Diners needed to pay the Trentham Estates admission fee on top of the pod charges.
The pods were also used for private celebrations and breakfast with Santa events.
The team at Totally Delicious said in a statement: “We want to thank everyone who visited the Pods for their custom at Trentham.
“As you may be aware, our Pods have been closed throughout January for essential maintenance with our reopening scheduled for February. However, after re-applying for planning permission with the support of the Trentham Estate for the upcoming year, unfortunately, permission has been rejected and we have been asked to remove the pods immediately.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed creating unforgettable experiences for our guests at the Pods and will continue to deliver special memories at Trentham through our full range of retail catering, dining and corporate hospitality event packages.”
A Trentham Estates spokesperson said: “Sadly, it’s time to say goodbye the Pods. Whilst we’re disappointed to see the Pods go, they were a temporary measure introduced during the Covid pandemic and have been a huge success.
“We supported Totally Delicious in their application to make them permanent and will now support them as they begin the process of removal, working to landscape the area within regulations.”
Afternoon tea bookings in the pods will be transferred to the tearoom.
