Ellesmere caravan site would boost local economy, says developer

Plans for the site on Castlefields car park in Ellesmere have sparked a storm of opposition from residents.

But Oswestry Caravans' owner Simon Darlington, the man behind the application, said turning the site into an area for 30 touring caravans and another 24 static vans is all part of a mission to bring visitors to the county.

"We walk our dogs in Ellesmere and on quite a few occasions the site was never being used," said Mr Darlington.

"And there is no accommodation or hotels and we thought that a five star caravan site would bring visitors.

"Day visitors to the Mere don't go into town, but this could bring people to the area who will stay overnight and go into the town."

"All of the caravan sites close to Ellesmere at the moment are over-18s but we want this to be a family site.

"This site gives Ellesmere the chance to attract visitors and let them stay over."

Mr Darlington has insisted there will not be a cafe or shop on site – encouraging people to travel in to town to use local businesses.

He said: "More people are using caravans and making the most of staycations – having holidays in England.

He added: "Market towns need to grab hold of that and use it to benefit themselves – other towns will but we don't seem to do that here."

"The whole idea is to provide accommodation, a place to stay. We have got beautiful shops and cafes in the town and we need more of these and we need to support them with tourists."

According to planning officers at Berry's, figures published in 2012 showed that North Shropshire and Oswestry had the equivalent of one million visitors staying overnight during a year - spending £115million in total.

The report, commissioned by Shropshire Council, said there was huge potential for the expansion of the visitor economy in north Shropshire.

Mr Darlington said that based on national figures, a site of the size and quality fully occupied could bring around £300,000 a year to the local economy.

He said many of the concerns about the site were not true. The holiday site will include an open space for picnics as well as parking facilities and a toilet and wash block as well as staff accommodation.

The building is a dormer building rather than a two-storey house, and the site takes up only the back of the car park site, not the field close to the Ellesmere Castle remains.

Earlier this week, English Heritage said the site would have no impact on the nearby remains of Ellesmere Castle, despite concerns from objectors.

Ellesmere Town Council has objected to the plans and many residents have submitted their objections to the planning application on Shropshire Council's website.

A campaign group, No to Castlefields Caravan Park in Ellesmere, was set up to fight the plans over fears it would damage the area's natural beauty.

But Mr Darlington said they planned to plant trees along the road while keeping all existing trees to block out road noise.

He added: "But one thing that we are also planning is an Ellesmere tax – there will be a separate charge on the bill for anyone staying at the site and that money will go directly back into Ellesmere.

"That money would go to projects in the area, such as improving wheelchair access for footpaths so everyone can see the beauty of the area."