by Laura Diaz
The owners of Aberafon Holiday Park in Gwynedd, North Wales, are now licenced to receive holidaymakers all year-round
Gwynedd Council planning committee has given Aberafon Holiday Park permission to extend its occupancy period of static caravans on the site from ten and a half months to the entire year, as reported by Cambrian News.
The council discussed the application last week, as requested by councillor Gruffydd Williams, who was opposed to the idea but unable to vote. The councillor claimed there was a growing trend of caravan parks pursuing extensions of their occupancy period in the Llyn Peninsula. He stated, “People in the area are mostly concerned that, if these caravan parks are opening all year round, people who stay here for over a year can claim they are homeless and jump the queue on the waiting list for housing. I was also concerned as there was no assessment on the impact on the Welsh language with this application, but I’ve been told it doesn’t need one.”
Among the councillor’s other concerns was the allegation that tourism has an effect on the Welsh language. On this, he declared, “If you look at areas like Abersoch, a massive percentage of the population there are people who have moved there after coming on holiday.”
Aberafon, which many consider the finest North Wales holiday park, will regardless enjoy this extended period now offered to its visitors. The time extension is congruent with the continued trend of UK staycations. A survey conducted by Barclays earlier this month predicted spending by UK domestic tourists holidaying in Wales will increase from £5.3bn to £6.6bn between 2013 and 2017. This 25% surge is undoubtedly one of the driving factors behind the many initiatives for holiday parks to stay open year-round, as reported by CaravanTimes.
For more information about Aberafon Holiday Park, please visit their website.
