'˜Hands off our vans': Ingoldmells caravanners plan second protest

Last week they gathered outside the Kingfisher site office waving placards accusing site owners East Lindsey District Council of being ‘greedy’. The ‘large number’ of caravan owners damanded clarification on proposals by site owners East Lindsey District Council to extend the current one year licence but place a 15-year limit on the private sale of vans on site and call for replacement over that age. An online i-petition launched by caravan owners at Kingfisher has already attracted hundreds of signatures and the protest was the latest attempt to get their voices heard. Donna Podmore, of the Kingfisher Caravan Owners’ Forum who has six or seven vans on the site - some of them costing £60,000 – said there had been a good turnout on both days. She said: “People can’t afford to spend £60,000 again when the vans are 15 years old. “Most people spend a lot of money upgrading them - putting in double glazing and renewing upholstery – but this policy gives them no incentive to do so. If they sold them off site they wouldn’t get as much for them. “If it wasn’t for the caravanners who look after their vans, it wouldn’t be the site it is today.” Another protest is planned for next weekend. Donna said: “We are hoping the council reconsiders and reverts back to the rules it had before. “We are not giving up. The owners are all united in this.” East Lindsey District Council told the Standard: “Under the new arrangements, the council will be offering multi-year licences which from an owner’s perspective provides greater certainty and will enable owners to invest in upgraded caravans in the knowledge they no longer just have a one year site licence. “The site currently has 726 caravans and the new licensing arrangements on the site will align it to many other caravan parks on the coast and ensure Kingfisher Caravan Park is a successful and thriving Park for many years to come. “The principle behind the changes is to improve the overall quality of the Park and the caravans that are on the park.”