PLANS to allow visitors to stay all year round at a caravan park on Walney have been turned down.

Members of the Barrow in Furness local area planning committee for Westmorland and Furness Council refused proposals to allow visitors to stay all year round at South End Caravan Park.

Currently the caravan park cannot be occupied from January 15 and March 1 due to planning restrictions.

A report prepared for the committee by planning officers says the proposals are likely to have an ‘adverse impact’ on the Morecambe Bay and Duddon Estuary Special Protection Area (SPA) and the Morecambe Bay Ramsar site.

Planning officer Andrew Willison-Holt told committee members that regulations are ‘incredibly stringent’ as the site is located in a ‘very sensitive’ area.

The report adds: “The loss of the seasonal closure will inevitably introduce additional disturbance at a time when it is currently reduced and has the potential to cause displacement of birds away from current roosting sites and therefore affect the distribution of the populations of qualifying species and the sizes of the populations of qualifying species within the SPA and Ramsar site.”

Previously plans to allow year-round occupation of the caravan park were refused by the former Barrow Borough Council in 2020.

At the planning meeting, Simon Mulgrew, speaking on behalf of the caravan park, said: “We have always had and still do have a vested interest in the natural habitat and ecology of the area because we intend to be here and keep on raising our families here for a long time to come.”

According to the planning statement submitted on behalf of the applicant, conditions to prevent residential occupation of the caravan park all year around are ‘unduly restrictive’ and ‘hold back businesses’ from trading to their full potential.

The planning statement adds: “This application is to allow a twelve month holiday season over the whole of South End Caravan Park. This will allow the site owners to offer choice and meet the changing demands of its customers who wish to stay on the site and use local facilities all year round.

“This caravan park is an asset to the local economy and can help support many complementary businesses within the locality.

“The park wants to offer customers a longer holiday season so they can visit the area throughout the year allowing it to compete for business with other caravan parks already offering a twelve month season in other areas of Cumbria.”

Walney Island councillor Frank Cassidy said there were ‘no objections’ from any organisation consulted on the proposals.

Cllr Cassidy proposed granting the planning application on a one-year basis during which close monitoring of the situation can take place. However this proposal was not seconded in the committee meeting.

Members of Barrow in Furness local area planning committee refused the application on June 24 at Barrow Town Hall.