A HOLIDAY park in Gower with nearly 380 pitches is going to get some more.
Llanrhidian Holiday Park, north Gower, has a restaurant, shop, gym, beautician’s, outdoor pool and play areas.
It’s open for 11 months of the year and has 378 pitches, according to a Swansea Council report, and most of its static caravans and lodges are owned by people rather than rented.
Site owner John Fowler Holidays Ltd now has planning permission for a further 19 lodges.
They’ll be installed on a patch of recreational land within the site, and landscaping upgrades such as tree, hedge and wildflower planting are proposed.
There were 18 letters of objection including nine from the same person which raised concerns about over-development, pollution, noise, traffic, flood risk and impact on wildlife among other things. It was claimed the park “is a large village within a village and provides no benefit to local community”.
Gavin Lewis, the holiday park’s manager, said the company had invested significantly in the site since acquiring it in 2019.
“The park brings so much to the local economy,” he said. “It’s great for the area.” He described the planning permission as “a step forward” for Gower.
A design and access statement submitted as part of the application said the 19 factory-built lodges fell within the definition of caravans under the relevant legislation and would need to be licensed by the council prior to occupation.
It said there was demand for more short-term let accommodation and that the 19 additional units would help safeguard 44 existing full and part-time jobs and create new opportunities.
“It (the proposal) will also enable the owners to continue to operate and invest in other environmental upgrades and improvements within the wider site,” said the design and access statement.
It added that Swansea was becoming a destination in its own right with year-round attractions.
The council’s planning department approved the application after considering issues such as visual impact, road safety and ecology.
Planning officers said in a decision report that the proposal would benefit biodiversity due to the landscaping elements and that there was a high demand for short-term holiday accommodation on the Gower peninsula – a designated national landscape.
The report added: “The proposals have the potential to positively impact on the surrounding area through the attraction of visitors to the area throughout the year. This will inevitably boost trade and support local services and businesses.”
It acknowledged the loss of recreational land to make way for the lodges but said “significant areas” of green open space would be retained.
Planning officers imposed seven conditions, including that the 19 lodges are to be used for holiday accommodation only.
