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A cliff-Top holiday parks shown on TV broad church This has upset locals, who fear that the construction of luxury lodges could destabilize this fragile site. jurassic coast.
Work Work is already underway on 12 holiday lodges at Ipe Cliff, near West Bay, Dorset, which will cost up to £725,000.
The site has previously been used for tent and motorhome pitches.
Objectors say the development of the ‘eyesore’ would threaten the stability of the fragile rock that forms part of it UNESCO World Heritage Site And there is a risk of coastal erosion.
The six-acre plot was a filming location itv drama Broadchurch, which recently got a revival after joining Netflix. The beach bungalow where Danny Latimer was murdered in the first series is nearby and is soon in danger of disappearing from the shore.
Campaign group Ipay Environment Protection claims the park’s owners are turning low-impact seasonal campsites into ‘high-density holiday villages’ with year-round permanent lodges.
A petition calling for a public consultation and changes to the ‘old plan’ that allows such development to go ahead has so far received 1,800 signatures.
Ipe village is full of thatched huts and there is only a single track road to reach the beach.
A spokesperson for Ipe Environment Protection (EEP) said: “The owners promise guests Ipe’s ‘rugged charm’ and ‘untamed nature’ – on the contrary this development will clearly have a negative impact on the landscape, rural life, nature and our dark skies.
“The prime site is just yards from the South West Coast Path, in an area where rock falls are frequent. Is this the right place for a fragile cliff-top housing development?
“Our petition expresses anger and concern about the development that is an eyesore and how it threatens to damage the delicate landscape of West Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.
“How was this allowed to go unchallenged?”
In 2022 West Dorset Leisure Holidays, which owns the site, was granted a certificate of legality from the local authority for 35 static caravans and 31 camping pitches, which were established over a decade.
Since the certificate established that the caravan was established year-round, the company was able to begin construction of the lodge under permitted development rights.
An EEP spokesperson said: “We believe this sets a dangerous precedent.
“The development has been permitted without any public consultation – despite the scale of its impact on a highly protected site at the highest level.
“This site is set within the AONB on the Jurassic Coast (a World Heritage Site). If such a development is allowed to go ahead, what do these protective designations mean?
The company’s advertising describes the new lodge as ‘a rare opportunity to own a premium lodge in one of the most sought-after locations on the Dorset coastline’.
The first is now on sale for £644,995.
The two-bedroom lodge is 50ft x 20ft with an open plan kitchen and living area, a master en suite bedroom, family bathroom with jetted bathtub and infra-red sauna for two persons.
It also has a large wrap-around deck.
The advertisement states that the season is ten and a half months, the license will run until 2060 and the pitch fee will be £7,999.
A spokesperson for West Dorset Leisure Holidays said: “Details and details have been provided [EEP] The group is misleading.
“A number of lawful development certificates were granted by Dorset Council in 2022, which sought to utilize existing planning permissions obtained on the site and, therefore, required no consultation or planning application to come forward.
“As a company we have begun growth with the first lodge now available for purchase.
“Over the coming years, we will continue our planting and landscaping plans at Thorncombe Heights, and high-quality caravan lodges will be available to buy from spring 2026.
“As a local family and business embedded in West Dorset, we are delighted to be delivering such a high quality development.
“West Dorset Leisure Holidays strives to maintain the environment in which our business operates and is involved in a range of schemes including rewilding projects, woodland planting, footpath management.
“We have raised over £110,000 for local Jurassic Coast projects.
“In our view, there will be no negative impact on Ipay’s lodge and we look forward to welcoming current and future visitors to Ipay Beach.”
A Dorset Council spokesperson confirmed there is no open enforcement case relating to the holiday park.
He said: “We issued a certificate of legality for 35 permanently settled static caravans and 36 camping and motorhome pitches for holiday use in 2022.
“A further certificate was issued in 2022 to confirm that the site can operate for those numbers throughout the year and without restrictions on the layout of pitches.”