Representation by Timewell Properties Ltd t/a Kelling Heath Holiday Park (Timewell Properties Ltd t/a Kelling Heath Holiday Park)
- Date submitted
- 11 November 2022
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Kelling Heath is an internationally renowned holiday park set in 300 acres of natural woodland and rare open heathland close to the north Norfolk coastline at Weybourne. It is in an area of outstanding and natural beauty and borders the SSSI location of Kelling Heath. Concerns Maintaining Access • Access to Kelling Heath is from the A148 at Bodham via Gypsies’ Lane which continues as Sandy Hill Lane to the park entrance, or from A149 at Weybourne via Station Road which continues as Sandy Hill Lane to the park entrance. • The Park has 464 plots for caravan holiday homes and lodges and 300 touring & camping pitches and operates for 11 months each year. • Of the 464 holiday homes the company lets 46 units with a significant majority of the remaining privately owned units subletting. • The Park has annual visitor numbers of 125,000 employing 125 people. • Touring guests will be towing a touring caravan on first arrival and departure. Guests hiring the park’s accommodation and those using privately owned accommodation arrive and depart by car. • All guests will leave the park during their stay to enjoy the coast and countryside and attractions of the north Norfolk area, contributing to vehicle movements. • Kelling Heath has substantial facilities for guests requiring servicing by regular deliveries from vans and large lorries. • In addition, new caravan holiday homes and lodges are delivered regularly throughout the year on articulated lorries. These caravans are large with the majority measuring 40ft in length by 13ft in width, with the largest 44ft by 14ft. Lodges are longer at 45ft to 47ft. • The Park closes for the month of January and week one of February when essential maintenance is undertaken often involving large contractors’ vehicles accessing the Park. In addition, this down time is used to change letting fleet bringing in new caravan holiday homes or lodges as may be scheduled for replacement with older units removed from park. For example, in 2022, twenty-two new fleet units and two lodges were delivered in the months of February and March. • Touring caravans and deliveries will access Kelling Heath from the A148, access via Weybourne for these large units is not advisable due to the tight corners in Weybourne and the narrow railway bridge over the North Norfolk Railway. • The Health & Fitness Club at Kelling Heath has a local membership and remains open for 12 months of the year. • Of particular concern is the corner on Sandy Hill Lane at grid reference 52°55'39.9"N 1°09'06.0"E (as shown on the ‘Land Plan – Onshore, sheet 4 of 40, application Doc no: 2.3) which will provide temporary access to the construction corridor. • Continued unobstructed access to Kelling Heath is always required, any closure or obstruction of Sandy Hill Lane would be harmful for the business and its users. • The optimum window for construction in the Weybourne and Bodham area would be the months of November to February avoiding the busiest trading times of the year when vehicle movements are at their maximum. Construction during the busiest months would result in conflict between users of Kelling Heath, other local traffic and the construction traffic. Construction Noise • The opening paragraph describes Kelling Heath Holiday Park, enjoyed by 125,000 guests per-annum who visit for the peace and tranquillity of Kelling Heath in particular, and the Weybourne and neighbouring coastline. • To ensure that our guests can enjoy the peace and tranquillity thy have come to expect, the optimum window for construction in the Weybourne and Bodham area would be the months of November to February avoiding the busiest trading times of the year The North Norfolk Tourism Industry • Annually tourism accounts for some 10 million staying and day trips worth £550.000,000 to the local economy, it is the largest employer providing 30% all employment. • Visitors come to enjoy the coast and countryside, but it is the coastal strip, which is most sought after, enjoyed and accessed from the A149 coast road. The A149 passes through the coastal village of Weybourne where the cables make landfall. • It is desirable that construction work in the Weybourne and Bodham area is limited to the off-season period to mitigate any impact to this key industry.