Ecclesbourne Glen
There are over 2,000 licensed caravan parks in the UK and Rocklands is one of them. It was established in the 1970s in the grounds of a house nestled in Hastings Country Park on the East Hill, declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with its far-reaching views across some of England’s finest coastline. Caravan holidays are popular (one in three of us has stayed in one), relatively inexpensive for families and can be a lifeline for rural areas in desperate need of a summer boost.
As any seasoned holidaymaker knows, sea views mean higher dues. But in this case, the price is particularly high. Over the last two years, Rocklands has been at the centre of a stormy row, which has now culminated in a fevered rush by councillors and committed campaigners alike to establish what lawyers like to call: the facts.
The primary concern was the granting (in 2012) of permission to demolish a discreet old bungalow on the site and replace it with a vast, overscaled eyesore for ‘holiday use’; some of which is now subject to a hurried ‘retrospective’ planning application.
As well as building it bigger than agreed, the owners took the rather radical decision to chop down a large flank of mature trees from the nature park, thereby giving their site a vastly improved view and the rest of the country a whole new Sussex landscape, with their new house at its centre.
But does this really matter, you may ask. Planning disasters happen all the time. Yes, true, but they tend not to cause questions over landslides that result in the closure of traditional walkways through the park to Ecclesbourne Glen, a nature-lover’s paradise.
As 200 locals arrived last week to hold a peaceful picnic protest they were confronted with the very human impact ill-thought-out developments can have. Owing to the landslide, a bereaved family had been unable to scatter their father’s ashes in the glen in accordance with his wishes.
In the meantime, the council has declared the lower part of the site unsafe and a whole row of caravans needs to be removed before they tip down the cliff. After all, everyone wants a memorable holiday, but perhaps not that memorable.
Next week: Spikes are in…
As any seasoned holidaymaker knows, sea views mean higher dues. But in this case, the price is particularly high. Over the last two years, Rocklands has been at the centre of a stormy row, which has now culminated in a fevered rush by councillors and committed campaigners alike to establish what lawyers like to call: the facts.
The primary concern was the granting (in 2012) of permission to demolish a discreet old bungalow on the site and replace it with a vast, overscaled eyesore for ‘holiday use’; some of which is now subject to a hurried ‘retrospective’ planning application.
As well as building it bigger than agreed, the owners took the rather radical decision to chop down a large flank of mature trees from the nature park, thereby giving their site a vastly improved view and the rest of the country a whole new Sussex landscape, with their new house at its centre.
But does this really matter, you may ask. Planning disasters happen all the time. Yes, true, but they tend not to cause questions over landslides that result in the closure of traditional walkways through the park to Ecclesbourne Glen, a nature-lover’s paradise.
As 200 locals arrived last week to hold a peaceful picnic protest they were confronted with the very human impact ill-thought-out developments can have. Owing to the landslide, a bereaved family had been unable to scatter their father’s ashes in the glen in accordance with his wishes.
In the meantime, the council has declared the lower part of the site unsafe and a whole row of caravans needs to be removed before they tip down the cliff. After all, everyone wants a memorable holiday, but perhaps not that memorable.
Next week: Spikes are in…