The two pods were erected at Fishers Adventure Farm Park in Wisborough Green, west of Billingshurst, in 2024.
However, they later drew the attention of Chichester District Council’s enforcement team, which requested a planning application be submitted so the development could be properly assessed.
Council officers said the pods were partially sited in Flood Zone 3b, a functional floodplain, where the type of accommodation in question should be refused.
The park admitted it had been “poorly advised” by the pod supplier when the units were bought and installed.
But council planning officers said no evidence had been produced to show the applicant had been misled and it was “somewhat surprising” that any advice had been relied upon, given planning applications had previously been submitted for holiday accommodation at the site.
The park’s planning statement had argued that the raised nature of the pods and an evacuation plan would manage the risks, and said a full bespoke flood modelling exercise would be “disproportionate”.
But the council also said the submitted assessment had not adequately demonstrated that the development would be safe for its lifetime or would not increase flood risk elsewhere.
It also raised concerns that access to the accommodation could flood and said the evacuation plan was insufficient.
Each pod contains two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen and a hot tub, with the venture generating more than £42,000 in revenue for the farm park between May 2025 and April 2026.
Guests also receive passes to the park, which was named the best Sussex family attraction in 2022.
Officers recognised the economic benefits of the scheme, but said they could also be achieved by placing the accommodation in a lower-risk part of the site.
Unless the decision is appealed, the glamping pods will have to be taken down or moved.
The council said it would be willing to advise on a future application for a revised development.
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