Residents Fury As Concerns are “Ignored” Over Weymouth Bay Holiday Park License Approval

Residents in Preston Weymouth, have been left feeling angry. After Dorset Council approves Weymouth Bay holiday park licence extension. Despite over 160 objections by local residents.

This comes after a planning application for an outdoor stage and container bar area.

What to Expect

There will be plays, films, live music, and performances. Residents of Preston have primarily voiced their concerns about the potential for noise pollution in the area, with some residents placing sound recording equipment in bedrooms and other strategic areas in the area to make sure that Weymouth Bay holiday park stick to agreements in the licensing application.

Alcohol will be served from 11:00 till 23:00 which spikes local concerns for anti-social behaviour in the area from people waiting outside for taxi’s to criminal damage to properties in the vicinity of the holiday park.

Concerns were also raised from a local resident stating that “The information presented to the Licensing Committee did not seem to take into account the meeting with the Environmental Health Officer in March, when all these points were raised & discussed.”

The Enviromental Health Officer said “I have reviewed the application and visited the site with the representatives of Haven – they may be making further submissions, for clarity, for this application. I was shown photographs of the proposed family area as well as the current area on site at Weymouth Park. The nearest residential premises to the proposed stage siting is approximately 100m, NW of the site”

Only patrons to both Seaview and Weymouth Bay Holiday Parks have access to the bar so it will not be accessible to the public which was also brought up in the public meeting on the 19th and residents were concerned about how this would be policed as Haven have no senior management on site in the evenings and is primarily operated by security teams.

The application is deceptive as the ‘stage’ on the plan incorporates the side building which will contain electronics, equipment etc, the stage size is 6m by 4m

• There is no intention that this will be a ‘festival site’ OR that bands will be playing from this location.
• The stage is to be used for family entertainment in 45min sessions such artists as puppetry, magician, family movies and character meet and greets. On rare occasions the stage might be used for ‘Movie under the stars’, in the main entertainment will finish around 20.00hrs
• The stage will be dismantled during the winter period
• Stage lighting is directed into the stage and not outward so thelikelihood of loss of amenity from the light is reduced.
• Stage sound is via line array which will be positioned inward to the audience ‘pit’ with the speakers also tipped downward.
• A sound limiter is to be installed to prevent excessive levels from occurring but will softly reduce those levels to prevent disruption of the artists or concern to the audience.
• There will be no strobing or pyrotechnics.
• This area is intended to be used mainly at Easter, May BankHoliday, October half term, and the 6 week period of summer ‘high’ season although may be used sporadically at weekends as well when weather permits, when the park is open.
• There is security present 24/7 for the Park and this are will be incorporated to prevent any mis-use.

“I would recommend that the following conditions/changes are considered for any decision notice.”

The use of the Jump Tower, and mini Arial Adventure be restricted to 10.00hrs to 18.00hrs daily.

The use of the stage be restricted to 10.00hrs to 20.00hrs daily and on 1 occasion a week this be extended to 21.30hrs for the showing of family movies.

The noise limiter shall be used for all amplified music and speech.

That the orientation of the stage shown on the plan is further orientated by approximately 20° towards the East so that lighting, and sound is clearly not directed towards residential premises.

The bar in the family entertainment area is restricted to open between 10.00hrs and 21.30hrs daily. (It will be for the park to decide the actual hours).

Jane Williams
Team Leader – Environmental Protection

Public Meeting

At the public meeting last night Councillor Louie O’leary and Councillor Tony Ferrari stressed to local residents that if any such complaints were to be filed, that sufficient evidence must be accompanied by this by i.e using a camera or a microphone measuring decibels as the park cannot emit more than 71 dB.

Cllr O’leary has also been liasing with the local neighbourhood policing team to gain more patrols in the area when events are taking place in the holiday park.

Cllr Ferrari also said that he fully supports the business in terms of creating new jobs in the area, he also mentioned how Haven have been poor in communicating to the public about the license application and only handing out around 15 leaflets to nearby residents.

In total 160 objections were made against the application and sitting in the meeting at Preston Village Hall, only around 50 people were in attendance.

Cllr O’Leary has also setup a WhatsApp group for all residents to join if they would like to share concerns or complaints to other residents and O’Leary will bring the complaints forward to Haven too seek any arrangements (If they decide to respond)

Both Cllr’s also mentioned that any event held at the new bar will not be publicised on social media or be put into the public domain and will only be to the patrons of both Weymouth Bay holiday park and Seaview.

It was also noted that a traffic plan was important to local residents to help minimise “slamming of car doors” and engines being too loud in the early hours of the morning.

Haven said “We can’t tell who’s a patron to the park and who’s not”

Louie O’Leary also quoted “Haven are useless and not helpful”

Residents also wanted to keep paper trails for complaints.