Hastings holiday park asks people to leave despite lockdown

Those people at Shearbarn Holiday Park, in Barley Lane, Hastings, were told they had until 12pm on Friday (January 8) to leave their properties.

The owners of Shearbarn said the lodge owners were required to leave for two weeks as part of the council’s site licence, which ensures the park remains a holiday park. During that time, the park would be closed to all lodge owners.

However, due to the national lockdown, a number of lodge owners have refused to leave the site.

Many 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.

The lodge owners said the current lockdown has prevented them from booking alternative accommodation.

Shearbarn told them it was their ‘legal obligation’ to leave the site, as stated in their site licence.

The lodge owners contacted Hastings Borough Council asking if the terms of Shearbarn’s site licence could be temporarily paused so they could remain on site for the duration of lockdown.

According to Hastings and Rye MP Sally-Ann Hart, the council has provided reassurance to the owner of Shearbarn that no action will be taken if owners of lodges stay on site during the lockdown. However, in an email, Shearbarn said an attempt to have a temporary injunction to the site licence was not successful, meaning they would have to leave.

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.”

In an email to lodge owners – and seen by this newspaper – Shearbarn said: “There are a small number of owners who are refusing to vacate their lodges for the required closedown that has always been in place and is detailed in your site licence.

“These people will therefore be in breach of their site licence.

“This will mean that they will open themselves up to legal action resulting in the termination of their licence.”

A spokesman for Hastings Borough Council said: “We are aware of the situation at Shearbarn, and hope that a satisfactory solution can be found.”

One lodge owner, who asked to remain anonymous, said her mother was continuing to live at the holiday park as she felt unsafe returning home, where she could potentially be at risk of catching the virus from her teenage grandchildren.

The owners of Shearbarn Holiday Park have been approached for comment.