All year round caravan park plans 'set to be refused'

Currently the caravan park cannot be occupied between mid January and March

Plans to allow visitors to stay all year round at a caravan park are set to be turned down over fears they could disturb bird colonies.

Westmorland and Furness Council is being recommended to refuse the proposals for South End Caravan Park on Walney Island.

Planning officers said the plans are likely to have an "adverse impact" on the Morecambe Bay and Duddon Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA) and the Morecambe Bay Ramsar site.

But according to a planning statement submitted on behalf of the applicant, the caravan park is an "asset" to the local economy.

Currently the caravan park cannot be occupied from 15 January to 1 March.

Plans to allow year-round occupation were previously refused by the former Barrow Borough Council in 2020, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

According to the planning statement, conditions to prevent residential occupation of the caravan park all year around are "unduly restrictive" and "hold back businesses" from trading.

"This caravan park is an asset to the local economy and can help support many complementary businesses within the locality," it said.

"The park wants to offer customers a longer holiday season allowing it to compete for business with other caravan parks already offering a 12-month season in other areas of Cumbria."

However, a report by planning officers said keeping the site open the whole year had the potential to "cause displacement of birds away from current roosting sites" and affect their population numbers.

Members of Barrow-in-Furness local area planning committee will consider the application at a meeting on 24 June.