A NEW licence has been granted for a caravan park at Symondstone Farm in Churt, much to the disgust of the neighbouring community.

The farm in Wishanger Lane has been used as a holiday caravan and camping site since the 1950s, and last week East Hampshire District Council agreed to transfer the caravan site licence to its new owners Countrywide Park Homes Ltd.

However, Churt residents say the farm’s holiday business has been in decline in recent years and fear the new licence could open the floodgates to a permanent trailer park.

The farm’s 1961 planning permission gives consent for up to 70 caravans ‘for holiday occupation only and none shall be used for permanent living accommodation’.

But, in a separate application for a certificate of lawfulness, the farm’s new owners have challenged these restrictions - claiming there is no legal reason why an ‘unlimited’ number of mobile homes cannot be lived in all year round on the site.

The new holiday licence allows Countrywide Park Homes to prepare for an expansion of the site’s current use, such as the construction of roads, hard-surfaced areas for the siting of caravans and car parking, alterations to the access and new toilet blocks without the need for planning permission.

Symondstone Farm would, however, remain limited to ‘holiday’ use until the district council awards a certificate of lawfulness stating otherwise.

This has prompted almost 400 people to object to Countrywide Park Homes’ pending application, including The National Trust which owns nearby Frensham Common, Surrey Hills AONB, Waverley Borough Council, and Churt, Frensham and Headley parish councils.

Rachel Botcherby, a planning adviser for The National Trust, said: “We understand that the application seeks to confirm the use of the land at Symondstone Farm caravan park for the stationing of an unrestricted number of caravans for permanent residential use.

“However…we do not consider that the local planning authority has sufficient evidence to determine precisely what the existing use or operation of the land is as it stands today in order to issue a lawful development certificate.

“Any proposed increase in the number of caravans from the 70 originally permitted would amount to operational development for which a further planning permission would need to be sought and determined accordingly.

“The impacts of the development on the neighbouring highly protected landscape could then be properly assessed and the appropriate statutory consultees consulted.”

Around 100 Churt residents also attended a meeting last month to express fears for the trailer park’s impact on local roads, schools, sewers and other infrastructure, and a campaign group set up by neighbouring residents is gaining momentum and members.

Responding to the new licence this week, a spokesman for the Symondstone Community Action Group said: “We are deeply concerned that East Hampshire District Council has chosen to grant the holiday licence while still awaiting the outcome of the lawful development certificate for permanent residential use.

“Furthermore, that the council has not taken the opportunity to restrict the use of the site under the terms of the new licence to match those of its historic use, these being from Easter to the end of September.

“Such a restriction would, to an extent, mitigate against any increase in holiday usage, not withstanding the applicants intention for permanent residential use via the lawful development certificate.

“We are therefore challenging the issuing of this licence and the procedures that the council undertook to reach their decision to do so.”

• To view the plans online visit easthants.gov.uk and search for planning application reference 35158/005. The deadline for comments has closed but the campaign group can be contacted by emailing [email protected]