Caravan park bosses looking to expand in Shropshire

Bosses at Newnes Caravan Park want to set up an extra 20 touring pitches next to their base off the A495 on the outskirts of Ellesmere.

They believe the plans, which also include creating a fishing pool and shower block, would reduce the demand for new caravan sites in the area, including one proposed for Castlefields car park close to The Mere.

Plans for both developments have been submitted to Shropshire Council, although proposals for the Castlefields site have been scaled back and now propose 20 holiday lodges, rather than the 54 pitches for touring and static caravans.

Tim Evans, surveyor and town planner, who is representing the applicants for the Newnes development, said: "The application has arisen due to continued over-demand for pitches and also as a result of feedback from visitors requesting fishing facilities.

"The proposed site is located well away from and out of sight of residential properties and will have very limited impact in terms of amenity and visual impact upon the landscape.

Opportunities

"There are limited opportunities for camping and caravanning in the immediate Ellesmere area and this proposal for the expansion of an established, well run site, would take the pressure off demand for more unsuitable sites such as Castlefields, Ellesmere."

The original Castlefields proposal submitted by Euro Source and Find Limited – trading as Oswestry Caravans – came under fire from the Council for British Archaeology, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and Ellesmere Town Council.

They feared it would have an impact on the ruins of nearby Ellesmere Castle – thought to have been established by Roger de Montgomery, first Earl of Shrewsbury, soon after the Norman Conquest.

The plan also faced objection from residents who feared it would damage the area's natural beauty.

But the agent said the revised development will sit within the existing car park to minimise alterations to ground levels.

A statement from Berrys, on behalf of Euro Source and Find Limited, said: "There is a significant evidence base to support a growing visitor and leisure economy within the UK, and Shropshire in particular.

"The proposed development represents the optimal use for the site due to its location within proximity to an array of tourism and leisure based activities.

"A development of this size within a established tourist area will only help to strengthen the local economy."