10:20am Wednesday 28th July 2010
By James Cox
A CARAVAN site with 96 pitches will threaten wildlife and make roads dangerous, villagers fear.
Residents in Ardleigh have vowed to fight the Caravan Club’s plans for a £2million park in Wick Lane, next to Ardleigh Reservoir.
Parish council chairman Tim Barrott urged them to hire a barrister to oppose the application.
More than 40 people attended a heated two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Tony Barnet, the club’s head of estates, at the Village Hall, to voice their objections.
Christopher Tootle, of Wick Lane, said: “Three or four caravans together become an eyesore. This is a local beauty spot and this development will be a blight on the countryside.”
Residents claimed the narrow lanes would put caravanners at risk and create dangerous driving conditions.
Mr Barrott said: “The tight corners can be perilous. I know many people who have been killed on the Dedham road junction.”
Jill Hamblin, of The Street, said: “I’m sure your caravans are lovely, but it’s not right for Ardleigh.”
Another resident added: “We get skylarks and wild geese, and I’ve seen foxes run across this very land you’re proposing to build on. We don’t want this.”
Mr Barnet said the club would put up signs to improve safety and work with the highway agencies to ensure entrance to the site was safe, which prompted ironic laughter from residents.
He said the development would bring money from tourism to the village, and the club would plant trees and encourage wildlife.
Mr Barnet continued: “Ardleigh is a pleasant village with pleasant people. I urge you to go along to some of our other sites.
“It will benefit the community by bringing in custom to the local shops, pubs and you’ll see swollen church congregations.
“We are in this for the long haul.”
After the meeting, Mr Barrott explained how residents could fight the application, handing out template letters and suggesting they hire a barrister to represent them at the planning committee.
Residents have until August 18 to submit their objections.
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