Councillors have approved plans for the major restructuring of a long-established caravan park in woodland beside Ladybank.
The proposals from Annsmuir Park Homes came before members of the north-east Fife area committee, and involve siting 49 full-time residential mobile homes, a maximum of 72 holiday static units, and a change of use of open space into a caravan storage area.
The proposals, which will mean touring caravans no longer visiting the site, were recommended for approval by officials, but had run into opposition from the local community council and concern from neighbouring Ladybank Golf Club.
Planner Robert Stirling’s report said the site had a variety of caravans and mobile homes of various ages, designs and sizes, and there was evidence of unauthorised caravan storage.
Mr Stirling said that the use of the site is long established, but its planning history is unclear and the plans would allow modernisation and regularisation.
He said that while this type of residential development should not be encouraged for reasons of residential amenity, there is a demand for this type of accommodation and there is an already established substantial full-time residential use.
There would be a planning condition, he said, that the residential units would be described as permanently occupied caravans, and not houses. The official added that the likely increase in traffic resulting from the increase in numbers of holiday and residential traffic would not be substantial.Environmental impactMr Stirling said the mature woodlands around the site are known to support red squirrels, a nationally protected species.
While no tree felling is proposed as part of the development proposals, he said, there would be conditions for survey and protection of the trees to ensure that no works would affect root systems or tree canopies.
Mr Stirling that the community council had objected on grounds of lack of car parking and recreational space on site, and had suggested that a recreational touring facility should be kept.
The community council expressed concern over the density of the mobile homes, prevention of access for emergency vehicles, security of occupation for residents and stability of some of the ground to be used.
“The community council clearly has some valid concerns about the development proposed and has tried to be constructive in its comments,” the official report stated.
It added, though, that ground stability is not known to be a local issue, and the holiday static homes are not permanent residential structures and are unlikely to suffer from minor ground instability if they are properly sited.
Mr Stirling said that the loss of the touring element to the caravan site is regrettable but there is no planning history for the site that requires any provision for touring caravans, and the applicant could reduce touring pitches to nil at any time.
He concluded that, while this scale of new residential development would not normally be considered acceptable in a countryside location, a small community has already been established.
He said that the overall scale of the operation on site would be increased but the emphasis is still on the improvement of the tourist side of the business rather than the full-time residential use of the site or storage use.