A holiday park near Newbiggin, Penrith, has been given the go-ahead to expand — a move the parish council says could see it become akin to Center Parcs and dwarf the village.
Ullswater Heights Holiday Homes and Lodge Park has been given planning permission to add a further 73 lodge-style caravans at the site near Flusco which already houses 162 units.
The matter went before Eden District Council’s planning committee after strong objections were made by Dacre Parish Council which said the applicants made no attempt to engage with the local community or parish council on the plans.
In its letter of objection, the parish council said: “The proposed 73 new sites together with the existing premises at Ullswater Heights will dwarf the local Newbiggin community of only 90 households.
“The development is proposed in open countryside on agricultural land, as the applicants have amply demonstrated in their viewpoint photographs.
“The scale and ambition is such that the development has, or will have, the potential to impact the wider Eden area on a similar scale to the Center Parcs complex.”
Concerns over an increase in traffic were also raised, in particular on what is in many places change-over day on a Friday which often leads to traffic problems around the A66 near Rheged, at junction 40 of the M6 and Skirsgill and Kemplay roundabouts.
However, a condition of the approval is that the company contribute £6,600 towards travel plan monitoring which will be overseen by Cumbria County Council.
They are also offering alternative transport, and a planning agent for the business spoke of a host of biodiversity measures it is set to introduce.
The change of use of the site will also see the creation of further internal roadways, additional parking, drainage and the formation of a new pond or wetland along with landscaping.
Eden planning officers had recommended the application for approval on the grounds it is an extension of an existing tourism development on land that was a former mineral extraction site of limited value or use.
In response to draining concerns identified by United Utilities, the company will not be able to house hot tubs with the new lodge units.
