CLACTON’S Christmas Wonderland has vowed to remain open in defiance of council officials who have told them to close for the rest of the festive period.

Tendring Council said the attraction at St John’s Plant Centre, in Earls Hall Drive, off St John’s Road, must close because it does not have planning permission.

The council yesterday applied for a High Court injunction against the attraction and is waiting to hear if it has been successful.

But Christmas Wonderland said it is in ongoing discussions with the council over the lawfulness of the use of the site, which employs 120 people over Christmas.

A spokesman said a planning application was submitted in July to improve the access to the site, but it was refused by the council.

A new application, taking account of the council’s concerns, was submitted in November and has yet to be decided.

The spokesman added: “We have invested considerably in our facilities to make Winter Wonderland the magical place it is and are prepared to invest in further improvements.

“With the Christmas Wonderland being such a high-profile venue, attracting large numbers of visitors from all over, we need to find a solution that works that does not involve closing the site down.

“Otherwise the impact is not just on our business, but on the wider community that loses out.

“We would like to thank all our customers and the local community within Clacton and East Anglia for their amazing support."

Gazette:

  • Pantomime stars from the council-run ​Princes Theatre visited the attraction last year

He added: “Our intention has always been to create a truly magical Christmas experience for the whole family and children to visit Santa and his reindeer and the elves.

"We want to bring Christmas and seasonal joy to as many people as we can.”

The operators said a large amount of evidence has recently been provided to the council, showing that the use as a festive wonderland has been occurring each year since at least 2013.

The spokesman added: “Being more than four years ago the council’s power to serve a temporary stop notice is curtailed and the council have been requested to consider this material.

“We are therefore working to resolve any problems and continue to provide a popular and well-supported local attraction.

“We have invested heavily in our business and Wonderland to offer the very best experience we can, having improved on this year on year.

“We’ve been trading at this site for over four years and employ around 120 staff.

“We have even received praise from the council’s regeneration team for the amount of jobs we create and the extra visitors we attract, further enhancing the area.”

Gazette:

  • Ticket - customers at Christmas Wonderland yesterday

The spokesman added the attraction was even used to promote last year’s pantomime, starring X Factor’s Stevi Ritchie, at the council-run Princes Theatre. 

He added: “This is a fantastic and popular attraction for the community that has received wide support on social media.

“We want to continue to work with local organisations including many special needs schools.

“Last year we were contacted by Tendering Council about the local pantomime that was being performed at the Princes Theatre, run by the council.

“They wanted the cast to come down and promote the panto on site together with the Christmas Wonderland.

“We were delighted we could support and encourage seasonal entertainment for the community.”

Council spokesman Nigel Brown said the authority has applied for a High Court injunction against the attraction.

Mr Brown said the council does not issue temporary stop notices often and it is only the second in the past ten years.

“It is not something that was done lightly and to breach that notice is a criminal offence which carries an unlimited fine should a case be found proved,” he said.

"We have now applied to the High Court in London for an injunction to call a halt to this unauthorised trading and we are waiting to hear if that application has been successful.”

He said the council is also considering whether to prosecute over the breach of the Temporary Stop Notice.

Tendring Council issued the notice after traffic concerns were raised by Essex County Council, which said the access road is too narrow to allow two vehicles to pass on Earls Hall Drive, leading to an increased risk of collisions in St John’s Road.