Emmerdale fans given fresh hope over future of popular village tours
Current permissions for the popular tours set to expire
The makers of TV drama Emmerdale are seeking to continue running popular visitor tours which generate millions of pounds a year.
ITV Studios has applied to the council to keeping welcoming fans to the production set in Harewood after current planning permission expires.
More than 40,000 people visit the iconic site near Leeds every year, contributing £7.7m to the tourist economy.
ITV already lodged a separate application to permanently film the show at Stub House and Burdon Head Farm, on Harrogate Road, after consent runs out next June.
A planning report said: “The Emmerdale Village Tour is a popular tourist attraction.
“It provides fans of the popular television continuing drama the opportunity to visit the exterior, particularly the core set at Emmerdale Village.”
The report said the tours gave visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the iconic Yorkshire Landscape and rural lifestyles.
It said: “The Emmerdale Village Tour is intrinsically linked to the production set, providing viewers with the opportunity to go behind the scenes and experience the production set in person.
“The visitor tours are well established, having been in-situ for over 10-years, attracting over 42,000 visitors per annum and generating approximately £7.72m of gross visitor expenditure per annum.”
A full change of use planning application is out for consultation until November 13.
The report said visitors could access the tour via car, bicycle, a public walking route or collection from a nearby bus stop, removing the need for coach travel.
ITV said its planning application did not seek to increase the number of visitors to Emmerdale, which is viewed by millions of people in 120 countries.
The report said: “Two coaches operate in rotation to facilitate the maximum of two tours per hour whilst allowing for reasonable boarding, alighting and travel between locations, in line with the planning conditions.
“This application seeks to remove the requirement for coach travel as visitors will travel direct to site.”