Holiday park residents have ‘nowhere to go’ after lockdown closure of site
BUSINESS SHUT ‘TO KEEP OWNERS, THEIR FAMILIES, STAFF AND PUBLIC SAFE’
THE owners of caravans and lodges at an East Riding holiday park have been left with “nowhere to go” after it closed for lockdown, it has been claimed.
The owner of a lodge at Burton Constable Holiday Park and Arboretum says he and his wife were now living with a relative after getting just two days’ notice to leave.
The owner, who asked to remain anonymous, said the decision to close the site in Park Road, Sproatley, affected between 200 and 300 people in total.
Park trustee Rodrica Straker said the “difficult decision” to close was taken following legal advice and trade body guidance on government coronavirus rules before lockdown began on November 5.
Ms Straker added the closure was the “last thing” she wanted to do, but was necessary to protect the health of owners, park staff and the public.
But Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart said he had urged the park to stay open.
An East Riding Council spokesperson said the decision to close the park rested with itself as a private business. But they also urged it and others to stay open for vulnerable owners and those with no other home to go to.
Government lockdown guidance stated anyone in a holiday home at the start of restrictions should have left if they could.
But they also stated holiday parks, caravan sites and other businesses could let guests stay if they are unable to return to their main residence.
The Burton Constable owner of 12 years alleged he and others had been threatened with forcible evictions if they did not leave the park before lockdown.
He added they had been “sold down the river” by the closure, claiming he was led to believe he would not need a residential home when he moved there.
The owner said: “This hasn’t just affected our park. There’s quite a few in the East Riding where this has happened but in some of the others some owners had to go but others could stay.
“Me and my wife are living with some relatives at the moment, I know people from the park who’ve had to move into temporary accommodation paying rents of £800 a month.
“We were told when we bought the home we didn’t need a brick and mortar property, we’ve been sold down the river.
“We’re in a home that has a 50-week licence, normally we go away for two weeks in February when it closes yearly, that was the agreement we signed up for.
“Now we’ve got between 200 and 300 people, some of them elderly or with health conditions, with nowhere to go during lockdown.
“The park’s owner has said they’ve had to close because of government guidance and the problem is that although we own the home itself we don’t own the land, they do.”
He added: “We’re just working class people trying to get on with our lives, now we feel like we’re being driven out.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. Luckily we had a lifeline because of our relatives, but if it wasn’t for them we could have been on the streets.
“It’s a lovely park and it should be a nice place to live, but it’s like we have no rights now.”
It comes as Cllr Mike HeslopMullens is set to call for the council to prevent holiday home owners from being made to leave at a meeting due to take place today.
Cllr Heslop-mullens said the Burton Constable park should talk with council officers to reach a solution: “The park should talk to the council to find a way forward that’s just and compassionate.
“We should be looking after these people.”
Park trustee Ms Straker said she hoped the park would be able to reopen after lockdown ends on Wednesday, December 2.
The trustee said: “It is with deep sadness that we have had to close our park for the second time in a year.
“Government guidance is for holiday parks to close, we have taken advice from our solicitors, liaised with Graham Stuart MP’S office and followed guidance from our trade body.
“While we do not like it and it may leave some holiday home owners with some difficult decisions, we respect the reason behind the Government’s guidance and law.
“The last thing we want is to close our business, but we want to keep owners, their families, staff and the public safe and well.”
Beverley and Holderness MP Mr Stuart said: “As soon as I began hearing from constituents that they were being asked to leave their holiday homes, I contacted both my ministerial colleagues and East Riding Council to seek urgent clarification on the matter.
“Government guidance is clear that parks should be staying open for those with nowhere else to go.
“That’s why I have been in touch with the park owner to appeal for Burton Constable to stay open.
“Ultimately, though, the decision to close is at parks’ discretion and I know many have faced difficulties themselves, like outbreaks of coronavirus among their staff.”