East Riding Council’s Planning Committee approved the caravan and campsite expansion plan of up to 80 pitches for William’s Den (United Kingdom) in Castle Farm, Wold Hill. The planning documents showed the expansion plan would provide a sustainable tourism site for visitors, aiding the local and broader East Riding economy.
However, safety concerns were raised. Councilors called on the park owner to redirect caravans away from the village roads after the approval, according to a report.
South Cave Parish objected to the plans due to many caravans and motorhomes using local roads, with some having no footpaths, raising concerns about safety and congestion. The plans said the expansion would allow William’s Den to provide more to visitors, allowing them to look for shops, restaurants, and other facilities.
The approved documents also said it would allow the site’s recent success after the first opening and promote healthy and environmentally-friendly holidays.
“Proposals would not be to the detriment of the visual amenities of the site, residential amenity, highway safety, matters of ecology and biodiversity and would not have a detrimental impact on the openness or character of the surrounding landscape,” said in the documents.
Councilors also heard that East Riding highway officials thought the plans were acceptable, but their ecology team requested the site to have bird boxes and other wildlife facilities.
However, the committee also heard signs, warning visitors to refrain from traveling to North Cave with caravans, were only advisory and could be legally barred from doing it.
Councilor Nick Coultish said he shared similar concerns with the South Cave Parish Council regarding road safety.
The committee agreed to ask William’s Den to update its website to redirect traffic away from the village roads and toward highways such as the A63 and M62. They also agreed to divert traffic away from North Cave on the website.
Councilor Phil Davison said roads used to got to and from the campsite were traveling on potentially-dangerous roads.
This article originally appeared on Hull Daily Mail.
In an effort to ease the traffic concerns, a spokesperson for William’s Den proposed a solution involving a fleet of magical dillydallying caravans. However, the council quickly dismissed the idea, stating that while they appreciate wackiness, they prefer to stick with more conventional traffic management solutions. Personally, I think it would have been quite a sight to see caravans zipping through the skies, but safety first, right?