News round-up: Big freeze delays park’s opening

THE opening of a popular south coast holiday park was delayed thanks to the freezing temperatures and heavy snow that saw much of the country grind to a halt.

Durdle Door Holiday Park, which is home to hundreds of caravans, usually opens its doors to holidaymakers on March 1st, but was unable to do so as the park was “inaccessible and unsafe”. According to park bosses, the delay in opening was caused by pipes freezing in the sub-zero temperatures, as well as a shortage of gas from the park’s suppliers.

“Dorset experienced extreme weather conditions last week including sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice,” Durdle Door’s general manager, Rebecca Williams, told the Bournemouth Echo.

“Although our holiday park, and Durdle Door itself, looked breath-taking, it made our park.

“We have been very busy checking all of our holiday homes, pipework and facilities for weather-damage, and have done our upmost to make the park safe again for our owners, holidaymakers and visitors.

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— Dorset Echo (@Dorsetecho) March 11, 2018

“After resolving all issues and preparing for opening unfortunately we have had to deal with yet another obstacle, as the gas supplies across the UK have been disrupted. As a result of this we are awaiting delivery of fuel. Without supplies of hot water and heating we have had to postpone the opening of the holiday park.”

The park has confirmed it will open on March 14th at 11am.

Big plans for new park near Hull

A new luxury holiday park complete with “high spec” timber lodges and pods could be built on the outskirts of Howden in East Yorkshire.

The new park would make use of existing facilities on the land, which include a swimming pool, fishing lakes and a gym.

Tom Wilson, who has submitted the plans for Woodlands Farm in Station Road, told the Hull Daily Mail that he was confident the park would be a success if approved.

He said: “We were looking at buying a park last year, and saw a site, but it did not have any of the facilities that we already have here.

“They were also asking for a fortune for it, and we thought it might be a good idea to try and do it in Howden.

“We already have an indoor swimming pool have a got a building which we use for a gym. There’s also a fishing lake and we have got a good access onto the site from the main road.”

The plans for the park, submitted to East Riding Council, would see 13 timber lodges and nine wooden pods built on the site.

Parkdean announces investment in parks

Leading holiday park operator Parkdean has announced a big investment in its UK parks, including spending £1 million upgrading four in Cumbria.

Parkdean Resorts has revealed that it is to plough £42m on its parks across the UK with £950,000 being injected into its centres at Fallbarrow Holiday Park, White Cross Bay, Gatebeck and Limefitt Park in Cumbria.

Four luxury lodges with hot tubs will be provided at Fallbarrow Park at a cost of £520,000 while White Cross Bay will get new caravans.

The work comes as part of a wider investment across the company in time for the holiday season following a record £50m worth of investment last year, In-Cumbria reported.

John Waterworth, chief executive at Parkdean Resorts said: “This year our £42m investment plans really show our commitment to continually developing our parks, and creating the best possible holidaymaker and owner experiences.

“In 2018 we have a focus on bringing in new caravans and lodges to follow the growth in consumer demand. We also regularly collect guest feedback, and from this made the decision to introduce more one and four-bedroom models.

“As we look ahead to peak season, work is underway at the majority of our parks to boost their offering, making for an even more enjoyable time whilst staying with us.

“We hope this is well-received by our customers, and look forward to welcoming them throughout the course of the year.”

New lodges including a variety of four-bedroom models are also set to be added to a range of parks following a £1.3m investment.