Dozens left devastated as park axes 80 caravans
DOZENS of people have been left devastated after being told they must remove their caravans from a caravan park.
The owners of The Happy Valley Caravan Park near Porthcawl have written to residents informing them they are to end the touring side of the business as they make plans for the future development of the site, and are axeing 80 caravans.
The decision has been greeted with dismay by many who use the site. Mathew Jones, from Ebbw Vale, whose grandparents, aunt and mother had caravans on the site for two decades, said the decision to end the touring side of the park had caused huge distress to users who had built up friendships with others over the years.
“The caravans have become second homes to people and that’s what RoyaleLife are not really understanding”, he said. “They’ve destroyed something my grandparents and parents have built over 20 odd years... it just wasn’t nice,” said Mr Jones.
The site was bought by RoyaleLife last year, one of the UK’s biggest park home companies, which owns 64 developments across England. In addition to the Happy Valley site in Porthcawl, the company has bought a new site at Hasguard in Pembrokeshire.
RoyaleLife said it wrote to residents asking them to leave, and disputed claims that some only found out through social media. It added that previous occupiers of the section would be fully reimbursed for any advance fees they had paid.
But some owners have said they are struggling to find a new pitch on other sites, or storage, or finding it’s too expensive to make their caravans road legal having been static on the site for so many years. Other say they’d had little choice but to sell them.
A RoyalLife spokesman said: “RoyaleLife acquired the Happy Valley site in December, 2020 and, as is protocol in these circumstances, the previous owners contacted the existing occupiers about the change in ownership. As new owners of the site, RoyaleLife has decided to close the touring caravan section for the coming season as the company makes plans for the future development of the site. Any advance fees paid by owners of the touring caravans to the previous owners of the site will be fully reimbursed”.
The company added that notice was given to owners of the touring caravans to vacate the site in a timetable agreed with the site office, and said it ‘strongly refuted’ any suggestion touring owners were given any time limit.
“Moving forward, RoyaleLife will be making a considerable investment in the location which has largely been untouched in 60 years – improving the infrastructure and facilities for the permanent residents and those occupying licensed holiday homes to bring the scheme up to the standard of the RoyaleLife brand across the UK,” said a spokesman.
“RoyaleLife would also like to make it clear that permanent residents and those with existing licensed holiday homes have nothing to worry about. Their tenure is secure. There is absolutely no question of either group having to find new homes as a result of RoyaleLife’s acquisition.”
The company, like many others in the UK, is experiencing a surge in demand for its facilities with overseas travel remaining difficult during the pandemic.
Although residents of the site must be aged over 45, most are said to be at or near retirement age.