A CALL to change a Ceredigion ‘coastal’ touring campsite to static caravans, has been given a breathing space against a recommendation of refusal due to an embargo on increased numbers of such caravans.
In an application recommended for refusal at the June 11 meeting of Ceredigion County Council’s development management committee, Charles Scarrott sought permission for a change of use from an existing permission for 45 touring caravans to 45 year-round static caravans at Llanina Caravan Park, Llanarth.
The original permission for the touring pitches only dates back to 1979, with the majority of caravans sited year-round despite the closure of the site over certain months.
Part of Ceredigion’s Local Development Plan includes an embargo on additional static caravans in the ‘Coastal Area’.
“The reason for the embargo is that that the provision of static caravans is already high in the ‘Coastal Area’ both in terms of overall numbers and as a proportion of accommodation type. This intention of the embargo is to prevent static caravans from overly dominating the accommodation provision in the area,” a report for members said.
The report added: “Obtaining the appropriate balance of accommodation types to meet all needs is vital to supporting a year-round tourism sector. This is particularly relevant to caravan and motorhome sites due to their respective seasons.
“Research conducted by Gwynedd County Council (‘Research on the situation regarding motorhomes in Gwynedd’, 2021) indicates that tents and caravans are most prominent between April and May. Conversely, the Report indicates that 64.3 per cent of Motorhome Owners surveyed go on holiday throughout the year.
“An overprovision of static caravan sites at the expense of motorhome sites therefore limits provision for tourists beyond the summer months. This would be contrary to the aims of the LDP which seeks to promote year-round tourism.
“The erosion of the existing provision can negatively affect the choice of accommodation available. This is particularly pertinent to touring caravan and motorhome sites in Ceredigion which have been decreasing over recent years.”
The report said there were 83 touring sites in Ceredigion in 2023, a decrease of 31 since 2012, with a further 18 lost between 2008 and 2012.
Compared to Ceredigion’s 83, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority had 1,000 touring sites as of 2023, the report said.
It says the planning authority “would likely support an application to extend the season at Llanina Caravan Park for use by tourers and motorhomes to better provide for a year-round offering and benefit the local economy outside of the conventional season to which the site is currently restricted”.
Agent Gwennan Jenkins of JMS Planning and Development said a condition of seasonal April-September use of the site “had not been adhered to for over 45 years,” the site operating year-round, creating “a de-facto permanent arrangement,” with plots accumulating “permanent features,” becoming “more like a static caravan site than a seasonal one”.
She told members that uncertainty around the application, which had been in the planning system for some 11 months, had prompted most users of the site to relocate, with only six currently remaining.
Members were told there would be a substantial economic benefit to the area in a move to ‘statics,’ with the annual expenditure for touring caravans of £2,800 comparing to a static’s £15,300, proving a “lifeline for businesses such as the pub, the shop and the garage”.
She said there were no objections to the scheme from the public, the scheme “seeking to reflect and formalise what was the actual use of the site for more than 40 years”.
Following a proposal by Cllr Gareth Lloyd, members agreed to defer a decision, the council’s Site Inspection Panel viewing the scheme before any decision is made, the application returning to a future committee meeting.
