St Leonards holiday park ‘will not evict’ people without home to return to

People who own lodges at Combe Haven Holiday Park, in Harley Shute Road, St Leonards, were told they would have to leave the site at 12pm on Friday (January 15) when it closes.

As part of its contract, which ensures it operates as a holiday park, the site will remain closed until March 1. During this time, people are not allowed to reside in their holiday homes.

However, Haven, the family holiday company that owns the park, said people who do not have a primary residence to return to during lockdown may remain on site.

Many people have said their alternative accommodation is in another country which they are unable to travel to due to travel restrictions, while others – particularly elderly people – felt unsafe returning to live with family members who may expose them to the virus.

These people will be contacted within the next 48 hours, according to Haven.

A spokesman for the company said: “We have communicated to our owner community that our season closes on Friday 15 January and the park will not reopen until Friday 1 March.

“We are aware that within the lockdown rules that people may not reside in their holiday homes unless they are unable to return to their primary residence to protect vulnerable people residing there.

“We have been liaising with Hastings Council in relation to extending our licence for owners unable to leave the park. We will be contacting any owners who are currently on park within the next 48 hours in relation to this. We will not be evicting any owner from the park who does not have a primary residence they can safely return to.”

What is happening at Shearbarn?

Last week, the Hastings Observer reported that lodge owners at Hastings’ Shearbarn Holiday Park, in Barley Lane, Hastings, had until 12pm last Friday (January 8) to leave the site ahead of its yearly closure.

Similarly to Combe Haven, people residing there said they either felt unsafe returning to their primary address or could not get back home to a foreign country due to the lockdown and needed to remain where they were to avoid being homeless.

One woman, whose mother has been isolating at Shearbarn, said people have been told they can stay but that they would be charged for the extra time.

Shearbarn told these people that the park would be closed for six weeks as they are not equipped to stay open and that there would be no access for vehicles during this time.

Hastings Borough Council and Sally-Ann Hart previously said the council had temporarily paused the site licence so people could stay on site during the lockdown.

Mrs Hart said: “The ongoing situation at Shearbarn Holiday Park is unacceptable. It cannot be right that in the middle of a global health pandemic, when we have entered another national lockdown, and in the depths of winter, that people are being asked to leave their properties.

“It’s awful to witness, in particular, the anxiety of owners of lodges who are elderly.

“My office and I have been working closely all week with Hastings Borough Council (HBC), which has provided reassurance to the owner of Shearbarn Holiday Park that no action will be taken in terms of their licence agreement during the lockdown, and I am therefore urging the Shearbarn Holiday Park owner to do the right thing and allow people to stay through this lockdown.

“It is now for the Shearbarn owner to engage fully with the local authority to find a resolution to this situation.”