Community leaders are becoming more concerned by the growing gentrification of campsites within the Yorkshire Dales (United Kingdom), claiming camping pods, yurts, static caravan, and log cabin development push out young people and people with lower budgets from spending their holidays.
As concerns over the accessibility for guests to stay in the national park were highlighted, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority decided to initiate enforcement actions against unauthorized modifications regarding the kind of accommodation available at Bainbridge Ings holiday park near Hawes, as per a report.
The authority’s planning committee in Grassington saw claims of increased demand for staycations due to the pandemic and increased profits from the use of land for glamping rather than camping, which led to campground closures.
Several members held their heads in their hands while they were shown photographs of the aerial view of how the long-running camping and caravan site in Bainbridge Ings had been extensively developed, with low landscape impact camping at the awe-inspiring site cut off.
Officers described a myriad of illegal changes that included retrospective approvals and developments that violated the planning conditions and were in violation of Planning Inspectorate appeal decisions at the site.
Some members responded by saying that the holiday park owners mocked the planning rules and asked officers to engage in a very vigorous enforcement action.
Swaledale City Councilor Richard Good, a duke of Edinburgh Award expedition assessor, stated that although the park had a definite need for camping in tents in the national park, the shortage in campsites is becoming an urgent issue.
The meeting heard sites that have hosted youth campers for many years were now being developed to include glamping facilities or static caravans for those with more disposable incomes. They also heard that the campsites in the area were frequently utilized by those who could not afford to stay elsewhere.
After the discussion, Wensleydale farmer John Amsden, chairman of Richmondshire District Council’s committee on planning, stated that glamping pods and holiday lodge parks are popping up like mushrooms within and near the national park, but there was usually nothing that the planning authorities could do to stop them from receiving consent.
He added that campsites that have people for the whole week have disappeared and that there’s just Usha Gap and Muker.
“People who can only afford to camp are being pushed out. There seems to be nothing for the younger generation because many of them can’t afford to stay in log cabins and the like, which can be as expensive as renting a cottage, the prices for which have also gone up.”
“I don’t think it’s about profits, I think it’s about greed.”
While many made significant investments in creating holiday parks, it was alarming about what might affect the landscapes and local economies when the staycation boom slowed down.
Bainbridge Ings campsite’s owner has been asked to provide a statement on the enforcement action.