New Forest holiday park plans divide residents

Plans to expand a holiday village in the New Forest have divided residents.

Lovat Park has 60 lodges at its Green Hill Farm in Landford, Wiltshire and is seeking permission to build 106 more.

Some residents say more tourism will benefit their economy but others are worried about the impact on grasslands.

The National Trust also raised concerns about the environmental impact of expansion. Lovat Parks said it had reduced its plans from 199 to 166 lodges to take on board those concerns.

Landford resident Stephanie Hildon said: "I have no objection to people visiting the New Forest and sharing this amazing landscape.

"The thing I have an objection to is the impact the new lodges will have on what is currently grassland."

Lovat Parks said it had already scaled back its original plans.

"Given the level of objection to the original proposals, the overall number of units will significantly decrease from 190 to 166," the park said in a statement.

Ms Hildon said to mitigate the impact on the environment the holiday park had told residents the overall number of visitors would not increase as a result of its plans.

"If that is to be believed, I don't understand how there will be any increase in local trade," she said.

The New Forest National Park Authority is due to make a decision on the expansion in the coming months.

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