Flashback 2022: Caravan parks threaten to ‘swamp’ Lincolnshire coast

The beautiful Lincolnshire coast has always been a popular holiday destination – but residents said ‘enough is enough’ to caravan parks in 2022.

They feared that the constant creep of sites meant it would become impossible to see doctors or dentists.

There were calls to balance tourism with access to basic services.

In communities like Addlethorpe, caravans already vastly outnumbered permanent residents by seven to one.

In June, The Lincolnite revealed that an additional 1,600 caravans were under consideration in East Lindsey through 16 different applications.

Residents claimed that developers were putting holiday parks everywhere, regardless of whether they suitable.

Hogsthorpe resident Tom Morrissey was one of hundreds to object to Hogsthorpe caravan plans | Photo: LDRS/The Lincolnite

One of the most controversial applications was in Hogsthorpe, near Skegness, where a landowner wanted to place a total of 108 caravans.

The initial application received 800 objections from residents, with people citing the poor roads and lack of public services.

The outcry prompted the applicant to resubmit a scaled-back plan for 65 caravans, although 600 people still objected.

Tom Morrissey, who lived close to the site on Mill Lane, said: “We’re not NIMBYs, we just can’t fathom how a caravan park could go here. The roads are terrible and it’s near a dangerous corner.”

The scheme was eventually withdrawn from East Lindsey District Council – but it was far from the only application that planners had to consider.

The entrance to Mermaid Caravan Park which applied for a 200 caravan extension. | Image: Google Streetview

200 new caravans were given the green light in Mablethorpe’s Mermaid Caravan Park, despite a petition against it.

An application for 54 caravans in Sutton-on-Sea (which had been turned down twice before) was finally given approval.

Addlethorpe Parish Council has also complained over the number of developments in recent years, saying residents have become “dispirited” and “demoralised” by the encroachment.

Ingoldmells Councillor Colin Davie said: “The east coast is a premier tourism destination but we need to think about the people who live and work there permanently.

“Coastal communities feel that it is all one-sided at the moment. They want to know their interests will be put before developers’.”

Several large projects are still to be decided by the council, including at Addlethorpe Golf Club and the Hollies leisure park.

But the cost of living crisis means the demand for stay-at-home holidays is likely to persist, whether coastal residents like it or not.

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