TWO holiday resorts in North Cornwall have been given planning permission to expand despite objections from local people.

Bude Holiday Resort has been given the go ahead to create hardstanding bases for 12 more static caravans. The resort already has 139 static pitches, 26 vacant pitches and 45 lodges and some locals are not happy.

Fiona Grant said: ‘The site has continued to expand to create a large scale permanent static caravan site with little consideration for the impact such expansion brings on the historic hamlet of Maer and its residents…This remaining last open green field represents the boundary between the resort and the hamlet of Maer with its Grade II and Grade I* listed properties. The field was supposed to be left untouched to act as a buffer zone to soften the impact of the resort.’

Neil Bindoff said: ‘The resort is continuing to expand in an uncontrolled way purely for the owners’ profit. The community is not gaining at all from the resort’s growth and the quality of the environment is deteriorating.’

But Away Resorts who own the site said that their plans will deliver economic and social benefits to the area.

And in Otterham near Camelford St Tinney’s Farm Holiday Park has been given permission for pitches for up to more 20 static caravans.

Although the application states pitches for static caravans the intention is to put holiday lodges on the pitches. The design and planning statement said: ‘Some lodges will be sold as second homes and these are then let to holidaymakers on behalf of the lodge owner. This style of holiday park operation helps to alleviate the pressures placed on local housing stock being sold as second homes by offering those wishing to buy a holiday home a cost-effective alternative to buying an open-market home, with the holiday lodge then being fully managed and let to holidaymakers.’

But Tammy Northcott had concerns about the increase in traffic and said it would have a detrimental effect on the village. She added: ‘Residential planning for this village is very hard to come by whereas holiday homes are on the increase with no regard to how they look, or if they are fitting for the area, how is it possible that local people are driven out of the village to seek housing further afield yet holiday homes with year round use get granted?’

Liz Freeman shared her concerns saying: ‘I have no objection to what is already at St Tinney but this is a very rural farming area with totally inadequate road networks for any more increased traffic or big statics. There are too many of these throughout Cornwall spoiling the look of the county. These lanes around Otterham to Trelash are used by many walkers and horse riders which are already endangered by the large increase in traffic most of which seem to not know the speed they should travel on what is in most places a single track road.’