Residents of a popular coastal village have claimed a proposal to open a further tourism development in its heart would damage the community in numerous ways, including by pushing up property prices for local families.
Objections from Hinderwell residents to a scheme to transform 1.7 hectares of agricultural land south west of High Street into a holiday chalet park have also underlined concerns the development could exacerbate traffic issues in the north-east of the North York Moors National Park.
Numerous comments objecting to the proposal for Hinderwell, which is about a mile from the coast on the A174, between the villages of Staithes and Runswick Bay, follow both North Yorkshire Council and the government taking action to arrest the rising number of second homes and holiday lets.
While the local authority is set to start charging second home owners a council tax levy, announcing a crackdown on holiday lets earlier this week, Communities minister Michael Gove said he wanted to ensure “people have more control over housing in their cherished communities”.
However, agents behind the planning application to the North York Moors National Park Authority have stated the both national and local planning policy is supportive of tourism developments in rural areas.
Application documents state the authority’s policies specify tourism developments will be permitted where it is located within the main built-up area of villages such as Hinderwell, which have sufficient services and
facilities available.
The papers state: “Hinderwell is a sought-after holiday accommodation destination, benefitting from its close proximity and good public transport links with Staithes, Runswick Bay and Whitby.”
While tourism is vital to the national park’s economy, generating a spend of £915m in 2022, the authority is becoming increasingly aware of concerns that the volume of visitors in some areas could undermine the unique landscapes it works to conserve as well as its communities.
Objecting to the scheme Oakridge Community Primary School, which would be beside the proposed holiday park, said the development would trigger safeguarding issues, meaning a large cost to lesson risks with a fence, which would have a detrimental impact on the national park.
Other residents said there was an “over supply of different types of holiday accommodation” in the area and traffic issues in the village already forced residents to play Russian roulette accessing their properties.
In a letter of objection, one resident, who has lived in Hinderwell for more than seven decades, said she had seen a dwindling number of people living in the village as the amount of visitor accommodation increased.
She said:
“There is already a large campsite, caravan park, a large number of holiday cottages and pub accommodation in Hinderwell and another chalet park only a mile away, in the same parish of Runswick. The village is being overwhelmed by holidaymakers.”
Another resident stated:
“I see this proposal as a threat to current residents, devaluing their properties, reducing further their ability to park, and ruining the views from – again negatively affecting value for they would be looking out over holiday homes.
“Local governmental candidates are promising to provide housing for local people. Yet by turning Hinderwell into more of a tourist hotspot, the house prices will rise and for people to leave the area.”
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