Glamping site loses battle to set up luxury tents after neighbours complained about noisy late night 'shenanigans'

By MATT STRUDWICK, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:40, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 10:56, 5 August 2026 A glamping site has lost a battle to set up luxury tents after neighbours complained about noisy late-night 'shenanigans'.  Owner Elizabeth Pengelly wanted to build four shepherd huts and four bell tents at her Swallows Nest Welsh farm in Abergavenny. The site already has two shepherd huts in use for glamping along with a herd of alpacas.  But the proposals were met by fierce opposition from villagers in Monmouthshire who complained they already have to live next door 'to what sometimes sounds like an orgy'.  Ms Pengelly has now lost an appeal after an independent inspector backed Monmouthshire County Council's decision to throw out her plans after receiving 15 objections. Overjoyed nonagenarian couple Yvonne and Brian Saddler feared their existence would have been made 'an utter misery' but say they 'now can go back to a relatively peaceful life again'.  Mrs Saddler, 90, said they had 'heard people's fears about couples getting romantic late at night, but to be honest that wouldn't affect us because we're usually in bed by 8 o'clock'.  'Our bigger concern was the volume of traffic the site would have generated,' the retired factory worker said.  Owner Elizabeth Pengelly has lost an appeal to build four shepherd huts and four bell tents at her Swallows Nest Welsh farm in Abergavenny after locals complained they could hear 'shenanigans'  Nonagenarian couple Yvonne and Brian Saddler are thrilled the proposals have been thrown out after fering their peaceful lives would have been made an 'utter misery'  'There's only a narrow, single-lane road running up here and if you've got a dozen or so extra vehicles using it night and day, it would have led to a lot of noise and frustrations. 'It just isn't an appropriate place for a business of this kind.' Mr Saddler, 91, said he and his wife have lived in their home neighbouring the Swallows Nest field for 32 years 'because it is so peaceful and beautiful'.  'You never used to hear any noise other than the birds singing and it has been glorious, until now,' the retired engineer said.  'Our garden backs onto the field and when people are staying in the shepherd huts, we can hear every word they're saying - and not all of it is the kind of stuff we want to be listening to. There's often a lot of swearing and drinking going on.' He added: 'If they had been granted permission for the camping site, our lives would've been an utter misery. I don't want that sort of thing going on next door.' Mrs Saddler said when Ms Pengelly purchased her smallholding two years ago, for around £400,000, she only planned to have two shepherd huts and offer alpaca walks to holidaymakers. She said: 'We were pretty much fine with that, but what was proposed subsequently was something entirely different. 'The plan was for a significantly large campsite and more huts and we were not ok with these plans. 'There would have been a lot of people staying throughout the summer and the noise would have been awful. 'Thank goodness the council has rejected the proposals and we can go back to a relatively peaceful life again.' Another local told The Sun they have to 'put up with the sound of couples getting amorous when they go to bed' at the site.  They said: 'I am no killjoy, but I just don’t want to be living right next door to what sometimes sounds like an orgy.' Labour councillor Dale Rooke said the tents would also be too close to the neighbouring property. He told planners: 'Tents are naturally not soundproofed so any shenanigans going on inside will be heard in the wider vicinity.' Independent inspector Lowri Hughson-Smith, who reviewed an appeal by Ms Pengelly against the rejection of her application, supported the Monmouthshire council decision to block the glamp-site development. She noted that holidaymakers would probably be active at varying times throughout the day and into the evening during the summer months. The site already has two shepherd huts in use for glamping along with a herd of alpacas Ms Pengelly claimed noise from a nearby rail line and an airfield could be heard in the area but the inspector said she found it 'generally benefits from a quiet and tranquil environment'. She said holidaymakers would be likely to be active at different times of the day and night, including during the summer months. There would also be irregular pedestrian and vehicle movements, late arrivals and early departures, luggage handling, loading and unloading, she said. The Daily Mail has contacted Ms Pengelly for comment.