Flooded chalet owners angry at compensation offer

Catherine Jones is among the leaseholders not happy with their compensation offer

Leaseholders at a coastal holiday park that was flooded in a storm say they are disappointed with their compensation offer.

Cove UK, which runs Medmerry Holiday Park in Bracklesham, West Sussex, has offered leaseholders compensation to terminate their leases early because there is "no resolution yet within sight" for its insurance claim.

The park was flooded during Storm Kathleen in April 2024 when waves breached the sea defences. One person went to hospital and 180 people were evacuated from the site.

Cove said it was "heartbroken" at the park's closure and said transparency has guided every decision it has made in this process.

Emergency services at the holiday park in 2024

Catherine Jones paid £15,000 for her leasehold four months before the flood and only managed to use it once before the park was flooded. She is being offered £5,000 compensation.

Mrs Jones, from Surrey, told BBC Radio Sussex: "I'm one of the lucky ones, I have been offered a third of what I paid. Several people have invested thousands.

"We funded this with money from my brother's estate, with the idea of it being something family could use.

"Ultimately I'd like my chalet back but realistically that isn't going to happen. There's lots of things to consider with environmental issues and flooding. I think the compensation should be slightly more."

The 98 leaseholders at the park paid for the leases which covered a certain amount of years, rather than the actual chalets. There are 308 chalets in total.

Olwen Dowse has been a leaseholder at the site for around 25 years. She said she has spent around £30,000 on decking, cladding and kitchen upgrades for her bungalow, which has a lease until January 2029.

Ms Dowse has been offered £3,750 by Cove UK. The company said compensation was calculated using two methods - the time remaining on each lease and an independent market valuation.

A spokesperson said leaseholders were always offered the higher of the two.

Ms Dowse's bungalow at Medmerry Park

Ms Dowse told the BBC: "It was a little bit of a shock and disappointment having this small amount being offered. There doesn't seem much we can do about it other than accept the offer and walk away."

A spokesperson for Cove said: "We are heartbroken at the flood damage caused to Medmerry Park which has resulted in its closure. This was not just a significant business loss, but also a personal one, as we know how much the park meant to our Leaseholders.

"Since the flood, we have worked hard under the guidance of independent experts to find a solution for everyone affected. We've kept leaseholders informed with regular updates.

"Despite the fact we are still pursuing the complex, ongoing claim with our insurance company, and with no resolution yet within sight, we decided that after two years it was right to offer a resolution to our Leaseholders.

"This is not the outcome that we wanted, however the absence of an insurance settlement has thus far prevented the reopening of the park due to the multi-million pound investment required."

A flood investigation report from West Sussex County Council said that in 2023, the Environment Agency (EA) planned to import more shingle for the defence at Medmerry.

A picture at Medmerry on the day of the flood on 9 April, 2024

The report said only 5% of the planned 1,800 tonnes of shingle were completed due to poor weather and tidal surges.

In November 2024, seven months after the flood, the EA deposited 2,000 cubic metres, which is around 3,200 tonnes, to fully replenish the beach.

A spokesperson for the EA said the south coast experienced some of the highest tides on record during Storm Kathleen, with an extra half-a-metre caused by the storm on top of normal spring tides.

The spokesperson added: "Our teams were out across the region throughout this major incident to support other agencies and to check the effect of the conditions on our flood defences."