Scarborough caravan park seeks to overturn refusal of residential chalet development that has ‘already taken place’

The Spring Valley Caravan Park in Scarborough has applied to overturn a previous decision by the council to not grant retrospective permission for the siting of six chalet homes.

According to the council, the development had “already taken place within the extended site” at the caravan park on Lightfoots Road when planning permission was sought last summer.

The new application, by TJR Properties Ltd, is seeking to overturn North Yorkshire Council’s refusal of the retrospective change of use to a caravan site with the six chalet homes.

The site accommodated 13 log cabins and the requested extension to the site had created an additional six units, 19 in total, with all but one of the new chalets designed to be permanent homes.

Last year, planning officers said that the visual impact of the development was of particular concern as the “chalets have encroached towards the woodland and obscure certain views across the valley”.

The report concluded: “The residential development is a new development in the open countryside for which there is no justification.”

However, the applicant has said that the re-submission would “address the council’s reasons for refusal”.

Documents submitted to the authority state that the new plan “will demonstrate how the proposed development is wholly appropriate to the application site”.

According to the applicant, the development comprises the retrospective addition of six “holiday style lodge units as residential occupation” but adds that they “cannot be described as typical residential dwellings”.

It also said there were “a range of economic benefits associated with residential accommodation” as well as making “an important contribution to the housing need within North Yorkshire”.

Responding to the planning authority’s serious concerns about the development’s visual impacts, the applicant said it had “submitted a landscaping and planting mitigation measure”.

It added that consequently, the chalets would not harm the natural landscape.

The application is currently being considered by the local planning authority and North Yorkshire Council.