Plans by a Berrow caravan park to create 96 new static caravan pitches for use by Hinkley Point workers and tourists were debated during a heated open meeting in the village on Friday night (August 18th).
As reported here, Rose Farm Caravan Park in Red Road, Berrow has submitted a planning application to extend its facilities into a field on its eastern edge to accommodate the new pitches, with a recreational square and dog walking and jogging paths.
Over 30 people attended Friday’s 50-minute meeting in the village hall where the plans were debated.
The caravan park owner says the proposals will bring new income to the community, creating 4-5 new jobs, and providing extra accommodation.
However, residents voiced their concerns against the plans on the grounds of road safety due to extra traffic, no pavements for pedestrians, insufficient lighting, the site being outside of the development boundary, a negative impact on wildlife and further pressure on local health and social services.
One resident told the meeting: “To encourage people to walk along that road with no pavements is just stupid and dangerous.”
Another resident added: “I don’t want to see any more development on these fields – it should never have happened in the first place. This would be a very unwelcome expansion.”
Another resident added: “Red Road is not a little-used road. Who came up with the idea that it’s safe to walk along that road? An awful lot of vehicles already drive down there – it is dangerous.”
A further resident added that the expansion of the caravan park should not be allowed as “the site is outside the development boundary – it is open countryside.”
Berrow Parish Council Chair Cllr Carol Dyer said they have received an assurance from EDF that the caravan park would not be used an “official site” for Hinkley workers, but she added that it could still be potentially provide accommodation “by private arrangement between Hinkley workers and the caravan park” if the planning application wins approval.
One resident pointed out that such an agreement would likely mean that the official white Hinkley buses would not operate at the site. This would, in turn, mean extra private vehicles arriving and leaving from the caravan park, he claimed.
Residents were asked by the council clerk whether they would accept a ‘compromise agreement’ with the caravan park, to which residents were firmly against.
The site owner, who was present at the meeting, responded to several points raised by residents, explaining that a waste treatment plant is on site and a barrier would be in place around the site.
A further meeting will be held by Berrow Parish Council on Monday evening (August 21st) from 7.15pm when council members will consider the planning application.
“We want to go into that meeting with an open mind,” added the Parish Council chair, “but were keen to hear some of the feedback of residents.”
The clerk added that he is aware of some local people in support of the application.
The application has planning reference number 05/23/00010.
