A company who own caravan parks has been acquired by another, leaving residents worried that they may be hit with a fresh wave of charges – but the owner has spoken out
Caravan-loving Brits fear they could be priced out of their favourite holidays following park takeovers.
Monte Carlo Parks and Luxury Home Lifestyle Group own over 20 holiday sites across the UK, with two located on the Norfolk coast. Last week they were bought and taken over by Seabreeze and Seafield holiday parks in Hemsby last week. According to locals, the announcement was made very suddenly, with changes expected to be made to the daily running of the park. Most pressingly, many regular residents are concerned over the costs of these changes.
According to the Great Yarmouth Mercury, residents will now have to pay electricity on top of ground rent, pay a £1,500 fee for scrapping a caravan, and they will not be allowed sell a caravan that is more than 10 years old. These have come into play recently following the new purchase.
In a letter acquired by the park, a list of rules were sent out to residents. In it, rules such as forbidding subletting and no allowing friends an family to stay over two weeks were included.
While not all of these rules are new, some residents are now worried they might be priced out of their beloved holiday homes. One man who owns a caravan at Seafield Holiday Park spoke to the publication, but wanted to remain nameless.
“It all appears as the new company is only interested in money and not helping families have affordable holidays in the UK. I fear that these upcoming change will make lots of families leave and look for holidays elsewhere.”
Adding to this, he said the changes were a “shock.”
Michael Annis, owner and director of the Monte Carlo Parks Group, has rejected all claims of change, and maintains that owners should not be worried. “We don’t have any plans for luxury holiday homes in Hemsby,” he told the Mercury.
“We recognise Hemsby is a different market from some other parks we have opened. We recognise some customers have 40 years plus of memories in the area. They should have no fear of the changes.”
Several Facebook users expressed concerns about “affordability.” However, Annis added that these concerns are “unjustified and unwarranted,” as they have the residents concerns and wellbeing at the forefront of the transition between companies.
According to their website, they own over 600 caravans and also feature a clubhouse and arcade for residents to use.
The Daily Star have reached out to both Monte Carlo Parks and Seabreeze and Seafield holiday parks for comment.
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