2.117

It is welcomed that Haulfryn Shearbarn is recognised as being one of the primary tourist accommodation sites in the District. It is important that the upgrading of Holiday Parks such as Shearbarn are supported in Planning Policy. Holiday Parks should be encouraged to improve layouts / facilities and provide better landscaping and a high standard of visitor accommodation. This may involve providing alternative forms of holiday accommodation (lodges / camping pods) and an expansion of the Holiday Park boundaries to achieve improved layouts. Support should be given for proposals to exchange touring caravan / camping pitches for high quality and well designed Holiday Caravans / lodge style Holiday units (on a percentage basis) where permanent environmental improvements are made on existing Parks. Although Shearbarn is located within the Hastings Country Park Focus Area, proposals to upgrade the Holiday Park, avoiding a decrease in the number of Holiday Caravan pitches with planning consent should be supported. It is important that the consented numbers of Holiday Caravan pitches are maintained, to ensure that the stock of holiday accommodation in the District is retained. Holiday Parks can often be the key to the economic viability of other businesses, jobs are created in rural communities and their customer patronage is often fundamental to the viability of marginal local businesses. Proposals to improve the product for holidaymakers and encouraging visitors with higher spending power to the area should be supported. Upgrading and re-development opportunities to create a wider variety of higher quality holiday accommodation should not be restricted due to Shearbarn being located within the Hastings Country Park Focus Area.

See attached

See attached.