Shropshire village caravan park set to double in size

Controversial plans to allow the expansion Wheathill Touring Caravan Park, near Ludlow, have been given the green light, despite objections from parish councillors and the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) partnership.

The plans, to add 1.4 hectares with room for 25 caravans to the existing 0.9, which already takes 25 caravans – were passed by Shropshire Council's south planning committee at a Shirehall meeting yesterday.

Bill Foster, chair of Wheathill Parish Council, told the committee that it was simply the size of the park in such a rural area that the council and AONB partnership were objecting to. He said two of the best known south Shropshire footpaths – the Shropshire Way and Jack Mytton Way – ran close to the park and there was no way the caravans could be shielded from views along them.

However, Councillor Madge Shineton, for Cleobury Mortimer, told the committee she had been won around by the applicants.

She said when they had taken the site on it was in a neglected state with decaying sheds on the land and fire damage to the main house. "It might not be to everyone's taste now, but it is an improvement, I think that is undeniable," she said.

She said there were "concerns" over where the plans were going as lots of applications had been made one after another, but now they had signed an agreement that this was the last one, if approved.

Councillor Stuart West, for Shifnal South and Cosford, said he had no problem with the scheme. "The AONB is supported not just by agriculture, but by the leisure industry," he said, adding tourists to the park would not harm the beauty of the area, but wanted to enjoy it and preserve it too."

Councillors agreed the extension of the touring park should go ahead, with caravans allowed on site from April to October on a seasonal basis.

Speaking after the meeting, Lee Partridge, owner of the touring park, said: "We're ecstatic because we are on the verge of proposing a £125,000 injection into the economy of Wheathill and local businesses in the area.

"This has been our whole game plan all along, to be sustainable - and we will be employing two local people and supporting other jobs in the area. We will be using local stone or our landscaping and supporting the local village shop in Cleobury North."