Pub owner told to close caravan site which had no planning permission

A CARAVAN site at a pub could be shut down after it emerged it did not have planning permission – despite being open for more than a decade.

When Edd Cunliffe took over the Hurt Arms, in Ambergate, a year ago he assumed it had the council's consent to run the touring caravan site.

But despite it being in use since the 1990s, he said it never had official permission.

Now Mr Cunliffe has appealed against a council enforcement notice which has ordered him to close the site down. He says planning permission should be granted retrospectively. A public inquiry is expected to be held later this year to resolve the issue. In the meantime the site will remain open.

Mr Cunliffe, who lives at the pub in Derby Road, said: "It appears someone has only now complained to the council about it.

"I have tried to work with the council to keep it open, but they served the enforcement notice on me. It's a huge disappointment, to be honest. It feels like the council is not supporting local businesses."

The camp site, on the edge of the Peak District, runs alongside the spot where the River Amber and River Derwent meet. Balloon rides are available on the land, while charity events such as the Ambergate Carnival and a Help For Heroes scooter rally are also held there.

"It generates income not only for the pub, but the whole community," said Mr Cunliffe.

"But I'm having to battle the council every step. When all is said and done, I'm already thousands of pounds out of pocket."

A petition set up by Mr Cunliffe to persuade the council that the site – which has space for between 20 and 30 caravans – should remain open has been signed by 300 people. Amber Valley Borough Council said it had tried to seek a solution before issuing the enforcement notice.

A spokesman said: "The notice served on the landowner follows a period of attempts by officers to negotiate a resolution to the unauthorised use of the land as a caravan site.

"Unfortunately these negotiations were unsuccessful, hence the notice."

He said the council had carried out a "detailed investigation" in response to complaints from residents and the notice was seen as "the appropriate action at the present time".

Anyone who wants to make an official comment about the council's decision should contact the Government's Planing Inspectorate, in Bristol, by August 30.