THE owner of Bowland Fell Holiday Park in Tosside has applied to add 49 more static caravan pitches to the site - prompting existing caravan owners on the site to say enough is enough.

Planned are a mix of lodge and traditional style caravan types, a new access road within the site, and landscaping.

Park Holidays, one of the largest operators of caravan holiday parks in the country, with 42 sites in the UK, says its business plan is to improve its parks to a 'high modern standard commensurate with the more discerning holiday-taking public'.

But objectors to the scheme, who have had caravans on the site for some years, say the park has expanded too much for the available facilities and that it is impacting on the surrounding countryside and road network.

They also question the number of approved plots at the site, believing it to be more than 300.

One objector on the North Yorkshire Council website states: "We have had the pleasure of visiting the site for some ten years and have seen the park change from a relaxed small family run establishment, well embedded in the landscape and local community, to the large typical 'holiday park' owned by a multi-national investment organisation.

"In 2021 the new owners started to develop some of the marsh land on site to accommodate new caravans and lodges. This new application for an additional 49 plots will have a further impact as a result of added traffic, noise , pollution, construction traffic and delivery of oversized holiday caravans which will be using restricted access roads to and on the site."

Bowland Fell, which is close to the North Yorkshire border with Lancashire, and is within the Forest of Bowland, includes an indoor swimming pool, restaurant and children's play area. It is also home to the grade two listed Crow Trees Inn.

In its application to North Yorkshire Council, a design and access statement by environmental consultants, Enzygo, says the application refers to a 2.56 hectare - about six acres - parcel of land. It comments that a pre-application advice request was submitted to Craven District Council, but 'no response was forthcoming as the council’s pre-application advice service is currently suspended'.

It states: "The proposed increase in overnight accommodation will enhance the tourism offer within the local area, as well as enhance the economic contribution that the holiday park makes to the local economy. The proposed extension to Bowland Fell Holiday Park could generate £1.45m to the local economy per annum in average revenue."

It concludes: "The proposed development is appropriate in a countryside location and has been designed to both be in keeping with and to offer an improvement to the existing holiday park through the use of considered design and planting, as well as the use of high-quality caravans and lodges."

The existing holiday use of the park is subject to conditions that the caravans shall be occupied for holiday purposes only; that they shall not be occupied as a person’s sole or main place of residence. The site owners also maintain an up-to-date register of the names of all owners/occupiers, and of their main home address.