Row breaks out over National Trust plans to close Freshfield caravan park in Formby

Video report by Granada Reports Correspondent Victoria Grimes

A group of caravan owners are fighting to save their 'little piece of paradise' which has been home to their community for generations.

Freshfield Caravan Park has been a part of the scenery on the coastline at Formby Point for more than 40 years and is a much loved holiday destination, home to 60 static caravans.

But owners have been prevented from accessing the site by a large build up of drifting sand which is blocking the access road.

Until now the van owners have kept the road clear of sand, but have been told by the landowners the National Trust, they are no longer allowed to do so following a ruling by Natural England.

The ruling, that came into force in 2022, means sand that has drifted across the access road into the caravan park from the surrounding sand dunes can no longer be cleared “due to the negative impacts this would have on the dunes and its biodiversity."

The National Trust say that Formby is part of one of the fastest-moving coastlines in the UK, with the sand dunes constantly shifting in a natural process that has taken place for many thousands of years.

The dunes are home to rare endangered species like sand lizards and natterjack toads.

Residents who live there say they have tried to find a compromise but have been unable to.

Jack Downham, a Director of the caravan park, has had a van there for 17 years.

He says with 10 years remaining on the lease, they have attempted to find an alternative route and a compromise solution.

He says the access road is now approximately 20 feet below the sand. He said: "We're not asking to redesign to the sand dunes, all we want is the access road opening."

He added that caravan site residents have worked to protect the woodland reserve, reporting anti-social behaviour, fires and assisting in collecting rubbish left by visitors.

Warden Terry Barker lives on the site as his permanent home.

His family are the only ones with permission to use a route through the pine woods so that they can access their home. The route is still at the peril of the sand dunes.

"Sometimes I do get stuck and have to dig myself out - that will take about two hours," he said. "An ambulance would have no chance."

Diane Christopherson first visited the caravan site with her parents in the 1960s.

"I had the best childhood ever here, and when I had children, I wanted them to have the same childhood that I had, playing with their friends on the site, going to the beach and the woods.

"Now, we have grandchildren and I wanted them to have the same childhood. It's very hard that now it's going to be taken away from us after so long - three generations."

And, for Lela Wells, the site holds special memories of holidays with her late husband Geoff.

He passed away in 2022 after being diagnosed with cancer. It was his dying wish to return to their caravan one more time but he was unable to do so because of the access issue.

"This was really his happy place and it would have been wonderful to be able to come here but Geoff's mobility was such that there was no way he could have walked through the woods," she said.

The couple were unable to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary at their caravan.

"Not being able to bring Geoff back here really caused me a lot of grief - it was very sad because I knew what it would have meant to him and to our relationship in the last months.

"It didn't seem to be too much to ask to be able to come here."

According to the National Trust, the sand dunes have been moving closer to the caravan park for many years, with this movement accelerating due to stormy weather at the end of 2021 and the start of 2022.

The site had to be relocated in the 1980s due to the shifting sands.

Speaking to Granada Reports, Eleanor Underhill, National Trust Assistant Director of Operations for the site said: "We've been aware of these risks for a long time and we have considered all the options.

"Another option may be an alternative access track but talking to Natural England, regulators and ecologists, that is also not possible.''

"If someone was to come up with an option we would consider it - we have open minds and we're not doing this lightly - we are aware of how the caravan owners must feel."

The organisation added: "The access road is part of the protected Sefton Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC), meaning that we, and our tenants, need legal consent from Natural England to clear the sand dunes.

"Our most recent application for consent to clear sand from the access road was submitted in early 2022.

"Based on sound conservation principles, Natural England made the decision not to approve our application and as a result, it is no longer legally permitted for anyone to undertake any activity that may impact the sand dunes.

"This is a complex situation, and there is no simple solution. We are in discussion with the Directors of Freshfield Caravan Park Ltd about the future of the site and have been for some time.

"Without the consent from Natural England to clear the access road, or an alternative location for the caravan park to be moved to at National Trust Formby, it is our belief that there is no other option but to close the site."

A Natural England spokesperson said: "We understand this is a difficult situation with potential impacts on the caravan park.

"However, the dunes are dependent on natural processes including the sand movement. Therefore, it would be against the conservation aims of the site to continue to remove the sand indefinitely.

“We will continue to consider proposals from the National Trust while also ensuring the continued conservation and enhancement of this legally protected site.”

They added that when the lease was granted in 2017, it was accompanied by an agreement to end it, if the natural movement of sand upon the site or the access road created a significant threat to health and safety of those using it.

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