A NORTH Lincolnshire holiday park has been sold to a mystery buyer – much to the anger of chalet owners.
Humberston Fitties, near Cleethorpes, was owned by North East Lincolnshire Council and is home to over 300 chalets.
Chalet owners had wanted to run the park themselves and had tabled a £1.5 million community bid but the council instead opted to sell to the as-yet unnamed bidder.
Councillor Matthew Patrick told the BBC that the chalet owners had “nothing to fear from a change of ownership” and added that the new owner hoped to offer leases of over 25 years, rather than the current five years, to provide some security for chalet owners.
The council said the sale of the site would remove a financial constrain for the authority and it also represents “the best deal” for all parties.
However, Bob Reynolds, chairman of the park’s Community Interest Company, said it would now take legal advice.
“Being secretive make us doubt even further what they [the council] are doing,” he said.
Chalet owner Sarah Palmer added: “We’ve been kept in the dark from day one and that’s added to the fear. It’s a feeling of utter powerlessness.”
The Fitties’ chalets were first developed after World War One and came into council control in 1938.
A public inquiry is underway this week after council chiefs in East Yorkshire rejected two applications for a caravan park by Park Leisure.
The operator and its development partner Turnwalk initially applied for a 225-unit caravan park near Allerthorpe Golf Course back in 2013, but this was rejected. Plans for a smaller, 150-unit development was also put forward and rejected.
Park Leisure appealed that decision and a public inquiry is now underway to determine the outcome.
The applications have been strongly opposed by local residents and parish councillors, with 68 objections submitted last year, reports the Pocklington Post.
A holiday park in Windermere will be carrying the baton for Cumbria in this year’s VisitEngland Awards for excellence.
Park Cliffe is the only Cumbria park taking part in the national body’s finals on April 24th.
The ceremony will take place at the Hilton Waldorf Hotel in London and it will go up against two other parks in the category.
