A popular hotel has been given the green light to create two new holiday lets and a treatment room out of shepherd huts.

The Pig at Bridge Place in Canterbury, once ranked one of the best boutique hotels in the UK, put forward the proposals in 2022.

Planning officers at Canterbury City Council have granted Home Grown Hotels, which owns the site, permission to progress.

Documents submitted by Pwp Architects on behalf of the owners say the huts will be handmade off-site by a company called Plankbridge of Dorchester and eventually be wheeled into position.

The guest bedrooms will be located south of the existing Hop Picker Huts and each will have an en-suite bathroom.

Set on cast iron wheels and topped with a curved roof of corrugated metal, they will be designed to give the impression of a traditional shepherd's hut.

They have been described as a “popular choice” for guests looking for a “secluded retreat” that allows them to get closure to nature.

The new treatment room, designed as a space for guests to revitalise, would be positioned between the main house and The Lodge.

Planning documents say: “There is growing demand for this type of experience and has proven popular at other venues managed by Home Grown Hotels.”

As well as the treatment room, the new hut would also include an en-suite for changing.

A raised timber boardwalk which runs throughout parts of the site will also be extended to provide access to new guest bedrooms.

Another reason for this is because the site is in a flood zone.

But the shepherd's huts will be elevated on wheels and positioned in an area less susceptible to flooding.

The Pig at Bridge opened at the end of April 2019 after an £8 million refurbishment of a 17th-entury manor house, the former Bridge Country Club.

It already has several traditional bedrooms in the main manor house, but also lodges, a barn and hop pickers’ huts within the grounds.

Two new guest rooms made from steam wagons opened in spring 2024 which were crafted from reclaimed timber to resemble railway carriages, complete with wheels.

They are tucked away in their own secluded spot in the water meadow, just a short walk from the main house.

In 2022, the hotel was ranked number four in a list of the top 50 boutique hotels in the UK.

It was the only Kent venue to feature on the list, which was topped by the Lime Wood Hotel in Hampshire.

In 2019, it was named the regional winner in The Sunday Times' Best Place to Stay list - a prestigious guide to the UK's top 100 hotels.

The hotel also features a signature trait of Pig hotels - a conservatory restaurant with an open-plan kitchen.