Planning Inspector To Rule On Droxford “Caravan Park-Style” Holiday Homes Plan

A planning inspector will decide whether to allow “caravan park-style” holiday homes to be built on the site of a former hotel in Droxford.

Last year planning authorities rejected new plans for the Upland Park site in Droxford, with the Parish Council describing the proposals as having “a clear static caravan or holiday park type feel to it.”

In rejecting plans last year, the South Downs National Park Authority said: “The proposals fail to adopt a landscape-led and ecosystems services approach to the design of the scheme.

“The layout, in particular the siting of lodges in a regular and uniform approach, their means of access and parking arrangements, proposed levels, and the consistent scale, character and appearance of the lodges are not satisfactorily informed by the surrounding built character, the settlement pattern, the landscape context and the site’s edge of village location.

“Consequently, an unacceptable suburban development in character is proposed which would not positively contribute to local distinctiveness and sense of place and the overall character and appearance of the area and National Park landscape.”

Now developers of the site have appealed to the Planning Inspectorate and anyone wanting to comment on the appeal has until midnight today to make their views known at the Planning Inspectorate website. There are four companies linked to the development. Three of them have the same three directors, two of whom live in Monaco.

Despite the appeal yet to be decided, the proposed lodges already seem to be listed for sale on property portal Rightmove, with prices starting at £469,000.

They are also detailed on the developer’s website where it says: “Register to be one of the first to receive full details on how to buy one of our new holiday homes. We are now accepting reservations to purchase on a first come first served basis” and on the website Caravan Site Finder.

The developer’s website did boast that it would “be one the finest ‘second home’ development in the country” but that has now been changed to read “one of the finest ‘holiday home’ developments in the country.”

A previous proposal for 22 lodges was approved in 2017, but the developers are now trying to change their plans and remove some of restrictions placed on them as well as changing the design of the development.