Residents worried over sale of caravan park

Sally and Philip Lawrence run and live at the park along with Philip's ex-wife and her husband

A public meeting has been called over the future of a caravan park in West Yorkshire that is being sold by the council.

Dobrudden Caravan Park, on land at Baildon Moor, has been put up for sale by Bradford Council as part of its efforts to tackle a £150m budget deficit.

About 100 people live in the 70 caravans at the park and many fear they may be left homeless. Among them is Philip Lawrence, whose family has leased the site for the past 70 years.

He and ex-wife, Liz Lawrence, who are joint operators of the park, have put in a number of offers to buy the land.

But a council spokesperson said higher bids had been put in by other buyers and the authority was "obliged to obtain the best value for the asset".

They said no decision had been made yet on the most appropriate method for selling the site.

The caravan park sits on land which has been leased to the same family for more than 70 years

Mr Lawrence, 73, who was born in Leeds, has lived on the site since his parents Ethel and Geoff moved there in 1956.

He said his family was "distraught" at plans for the park to be sold.

"We're upset and it's having an adverse effect on our health. Liz particularly is very poorly with it.

"And until it's resolved it's just going to get worse and worse."

The father-of-two said the council had asked for sealed bids for purchase of the site.

"A lot of the other bidders are multi-national companies that have 18 or more caravan parks so they'll be able to put a limitless bid in, effectively," he said.

"We don't know what to do."

His wife Sally, 60, said the stress of the situation had led to many residents experiencing sleepless nights.

"It's been terrible watching my husband suffer," she said.

"He put all this work in over the years, we just feel like it's going to be taken away from him.

"If it had happened 20 years ago, we would have probably been able to pick ourselves up, go somewhere else and start again.

"But not at the age we're at."

Chris Medcalf, 70, said his partner Liz Lawrence, also 70, was "very ill" and had a chronic health condition that had worsened in recent years.

"She's normally a gregarious person but she can't face people anymore. It's heart-breaking seeing how she is," he said.

"Best value doesn't always mean most money. They'll be setting themselves up for a lot of costs in the future [if they make the residents] homeless.

"They have an obligation to make life good for us and the 100 people who live on the site."

Anna Dixon, MP for Shipley, has arranged a public meeting to take place in December in Baildon, to discuss the issue.

A spokesperson for Dixon said her "main concern is with regards to what happens to the tenants, and the leaseholder, and the uncertainty that they're facing".

"There's no clarity over what a new owner might do with the site once it's sold," they said.

Chris Medcalf said the stress of the situation was making his partner Liz Lawrence unwell

A spokesperson for Bradford Council said the business tenancy for the park was protected under the 1954 Landlord & Tenant Act.

They said an initial letter informing the Lawrences about the council's intention to sell the site under its asset disposal programme was sent in March 2024.

In August 2024, the site was put on the open market with offers by the current operators submitted in February this year, then again in June and August.

"Other offers have subsequently exceeded this amount," the spokesperson said.

"We notified the operators that a higher offer had been received. We are obliged to obtain best value for the asset.

"The caravan park residents are on site under the terms and conditions agreed with the business owner who operates the site.

"To be clear, the site is being sold as a going concern and any new owner would operate it as such in accordance with the existing lease provisions."

The spokesperson said a decision on the "most appropriate method of sale" was still being made and the outcome would be shared with the tenants "as soon as possible".

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