A DECISION on whether to allow all year round occupation at the Tarn House Caravan Park at Stirton, near Skipton, has been temporarily deferred after Craven District Council’s planning committee failed to reach a majority verdict.

With committee chairman, Cllr Alan Sutcliffe (Con, Gargrave and Malhamdale) abstaining from a vote to reject the application and then refusing to use his casting vote, it was decided to defer the plan until the next meeting of the committee.

The remotely held meeting, heard from Stirton with Thorlby Parish Council and ward member, Cllr Simon Myers , that at least 18 people lived at the site permanently, in breach of the licence, which specified that it not be occupied between December 15 and February 6.

Planning manager, Neville Watson said he would return with a report detailing all the reasons members had put forward to reject the application, which included that the site is isolated and not considered appropriate for permanent residential use, that conditions on its use were unenforceable, and that the site was not allocated for housing in the local plan.

Mr Watson, backed up by planning officer, Alex Strickland, had earlier warned that such reasons for refusal in his opinion would not win at appeal and would likely result in costs being awarded against the council.

The meeting heard that site owners, Partington’s Holiday Park’s wanted a 12 month holiday licence at an area of the site which is currently closed between December 15 and February 6.

In recommending the application be approved, Mr Watson said it was not about the caravan site itself, but its use, and it was wrong to think people did not want to make use of the holiday park in December for Christmas, or in February. Conditions on the permission would include that caravans be for holiday use only, and not for permanent occupation, and that the site manager kept a register of names of all the owners or occupiers of the caravans and their home addresses.

Cllr Simon Myers in support of Stirton with Thorlby Parish Council, said the Covid-19 lockdown had revealed that at least 18 people lived on the site permanently, in breach of he licence, and that the number was probably two or three times that.

“We are allowing people to live in houses permanently that we would not give planning to, they are all right for holidays, but not for permanent use, and I am sure we could conduct a vigorous defence of this, if it went to appeal,”he said.

Committee chairman, Cllr Alan Sutcliffe (Con, Gargrave and Malhamdale), said people were living at the site permanently, enjoying the facilities of Skipton while not paying council tax. “Reluctantly, I do think we should think twice before we approve this application,” he said.

Cllr Richard Welch (Con, Penyghent) said who were they to tell people how to live their lives, and told his fellow councillors how similar applications had come before the Yorkshire Dales National Park and were being approved following an appeal decision that had set a precedent. He also worried about the credibility of the council if it refused the application on ‘spurious reasons’.

But, Cllr Richard Pringle (Ind ,West Craven) claimed councillors were not allowed to impose a condition that was not enforceable, and he believed proposed conditions on the permission were unenforceable, as had already been shown.

“The condition that is proposed is basically unenforceable. There are people living there. There are some substantial log cabins, and there are some substandard caravans. The site is not intended for permanent use.,” he said.

And he asked that the committee not be persuaded against by the threat of costs. “We will only lose costs, if we are wholly unreasonable,” he said.

Four councillors voted for the application to be refused, four voted against the proposal to refuse, and three abstained from the vote.