Agenda item

21/03856/CCD

Change to use of car park to area of land to allow individuals to sleep in self sufficient Motorhomes

Amble Braid Car Park, Amble Marina, Amble, Northumberland, NE65 0HH

 

Minutes:

Change of use of car park to are of land to allow individuals to sleep in self-sufficient Motorhomes

Amble Braid Car Park, Amble Marina, Amble, Northumberland, NE65 0HH

 

An introduction to the report and powerpoint presentation had been provided as part of the first application on the agenda.  

 

Councillor J Watson, Ward Councillor for the area spoke in support of the application.  His comments included the following:-

 

·       Councillor Wallace was right in that the reason the trial was being held was as a result of a Coastal Summit held a number of years ago which had acknowledged the problem of camper vans parking regularly and illegally and recognised that this must be stopped.

·       It was stated that the application site was technically in Warkworth and not Amble and that the application had been discussed at both Amble Town Council and Warkworth Parish Council when as a Councillor on both he had taken no part on any discussions.

·       The sites were pilots and would be easier to invigilate as currently this was not able to be done as there was nothing illegal about parking a campervan overnight on Amble car park just sleeping in it.  

·       Sites would need to be booked on the website including registration number and if any campervans parked had not booked then they could be issued with a parking ticket. 

·       He was not aware of any anti-social behaviour from people using campervans and advised that there was such a location in Warkworth where overnight stays were allowed and he was not aware of any reports of anti-social behaviour being received. The people using the campervans would use their own facilities.

·       A lot of the questions asked by Members and the Parish Council would have been answered if they had been party to some of the information which he had viewed but unfortunately this information had not come out as part of the application. This was a pity as it would have provided more details and assurance on how the pilot was going to be run.  All the sensible things would be done such as providing adequate waste bins etc. in order to ensure that the Council were able to learn from the pilot. 

·       The only point he questioned was in relation to flood risk as it there was a risk of flooding then the motorhome would just drive away from the area.

·       He had no objections to the application and felt that the Parish Council would not have had either had they been provided with all the information and he encouraged Members to approve the application.

 

T Barkwill addressed the Committee speaking in support of the application.  Her comments included the following:-

 

·       She had previously lived in Durham and Northumberland and currently lived in North Tyneside.  She had a static caravan in Northumberland as well as being the owner of a motorhome.  She loved living in the North East and was passionate about supporting the economic wellbeing of the region and believed there had never been a better time to recognise the potential income from motorhome tourism.  Ownership in the UK had almost doubled over the last two years with large number of people discovering the staycation, advising that this upsurge should be harnessed before people give up on Northumberland and went elsewhere.

·       Most motorhome tourists did spend money in the local economy, frequenting local food outlets, testing local produced foods and shopping for everything from clothes to pet treats was enjoyed as well as participating in activities. She had visited Amble last year with her partner enjoying a paddleboarding session, fish and chips and ice cream.  If they had been able to stay overnight they would have also enjoyed an evening meal and drinks at a local restaurant and breakfast the next day.

·       Over the last two years a small group, averaging 6 motorhome units, trialled 4 separate overnight stays at local pubs, farms etc in the outlying areas of Northumberland and calculated a group spend which equated to £1,242.39.

·       Recently local Councils in Cumbria had created a motorhome tourist route with the aim of drawing motorhomes away from honeypot areas to less populated areas which was reported as working very well.

·       At times, public and the media attributed anti-social behaviour to motor homers however, the vast majority not only disposed of their own waste and litter appropriately but strived to leave an area cleaner than when they arrived.

·       A group called Motorhomes and Campervans against litter had grown and cleared litter from one end of the UK to the other.  The natural surveillance provided by motor homers could deter anti-social behaviour such as boy-racing  and fly-tipping. 

·       Motorhome tourists were happy to be charged and would welcome the revenue used to police an area and would be happy for barriers of car parksto be lowered overnight.  The motorhome group CAMpRA were currently advising Durham County Council and other Local Authorities and would be happy to work with Northumberland also. 

·       The reason campsites were not used all the time, although they were used, was that motorhomes were large vehicles and what owners liked to do was to park within walking distance to towns or villages so that they could walk into the town or village to enjoy an evening meal and a few drinks before walking back and staying in the motorhome.  If a motorhome was parked on a caravan site then they would either take their own food or buy from the shop on the site and therefore other local businesses did not benefit.

·       In relation to waste disposal a central waste disposal point within Northumberland would be enough, with signage provided giving information on the nearest facility, and to which motor homers would pay typically around £5 to use,  This could be provided in central point in a supermarket or petrol station etc.

 

In response to questions from Members the following information was provided:-

 

·       The point of the pilot was to judge the impact of allowing overnight stays and to ascertain what would need to be in place if made permanent.  It would also allow the impact to be assessed on the operation of the car parks, the numbers who would use such a facility and prevent car parks to be dominated by motorhomes.

·       The cost of the overnight stay for a campervan was not a material planning consideration, but would need to be set at an appropriate figure.

·       If the pilot was to be expanded it would not be rolled out Carte blanch to all car parks as each would need an individual planning consent and would be looked at on a case-by-case basis.  Certain car parks struggled to cope with demand for spaces at peak times and it would be important to spread any facilities to other parts of the County and there would be a strategic led approach to coverage.

·       Whether the Council made any profit from the pilot was not a material planning consideration and it was stressed that these were being provided to facilitate and manage tourism and ascertain the effect on the local economy.

·       Re-active enforcement might be required if a motorhome was unable to park in a booked space and this would be worked through during the pilot period.

 

Councillor Hutchinson proposed acceptance of the recommendation to approve as outlined in the report with the additional conditions in related to bins, signage and restoration of land as outlined in the previous application which was seconded by Councillor Flux.

 

A vote was taken on the proposal as follows:  FOR 14; AGAINST 0; ABSTENTIONS 1.

 

RESOLVED that the application be GRANTED permission for a period of 12 months subject to the conditions outlined in the report with 3 additional conditions in respect of a bin capacity assessment, signage and restoration of land should the permission not continue, with the exact wording of these 3 additional conditions to be delegated to the Director of Planning in consultation with the Chair of the Planning Committee and subject to a financial contribution to the Council’s Coastal mitigation Service.

 

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