Holiday park would help market relocate, boss says

Plans to expand Unity Holidays' caravan park on to the site of Skirlington Market go in this week, the applicant says

A holiday park will help a market find a new home ahead of plans to expand on to its site, its boss has said.

Plans for Unity Holidays to expand its caravan park on to the site of Skirlington Market, near Skipsea in East Yorkshire, go in this week, CEO Dermot King said, with market traders already given notice to leave.

Mr King said: "We have researched and found alternative locations and spoken to the landlord of those."

Angela Parry, the market's marketing director, said relocation suggestions were "not realistic" as there was "nowhere else that could replicate what we have built here".

The plans include a proposal to redevelop the site with a swimming pool, sun deck and sports areas.

Thousands of people have signed a petition to stop the plans and save Skirlington Market, which has been running for almost 40 years.

Keith Bemrose, the founder of Skirlington Market, is working hard to keep it going

Mr King said: "We haven't actually made an offer but we have researched and found alternative locations and spoken to the landlord of those.

"The landlord is willing to speak to the market operator and we will naturally help with any of this if it's reasonable to do so."

Referring to Skirlington Market's opening times, Mr King said that running a market 36 days of the year would not be the best use of their land.

He also said that most employees at the expanded holiday park would "come from local communities", which meant there was a "give and take".

He said: "One of those things is we make those facilities open to local communities when we don't have holidaymakers to use them.

"We provide them to local schools free of charge."

'Not realistic'

In response, Ms Parry said: "Skirlington Market has been thriving for 40 years and is open far more often than Mr King suggests.

"It supports hundreds of small businesses and brings thousands of visitors to the area who spend in the wider local economy.

"We are open to working with Unity on extra events to make even greater use of the land, but suggestions about relocating are not realistic as there is nowhere else that could replicate what we have built here."

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