Families say they have been driven out of their own gardens and can no longer use their hot tubs – after a holiday park expansion left dozens of caravans overlooking their homes.

Residents in a rural Cornish hamlet claim 60 static caravans were installed in the wrong location at Meadow Lakes Holiday Park, stripping away privacy, blocking views and sparking a bitter row that has rumbled on for years.

Locals in Luney Barton say the units were placed far closer to their properties than expected, with some alleging the development may breach planning rules.

Lorraine Harvey, 69, who has lived in the area with her husband Jeff, 71, said the caravans appeared suddenly and dramatically altered the landscape.

She said: ‘They seemed to have just appeared in 2021 – and 44 got placed. They teared away two thirds of the field which was a towing field for towing caravans and tents since 1979 – 43 years.

‘Then in January 2023 the diggers came back again – they took all the hedgerows which were ancient.’

Her husband Mr Harvey said: ‘It’s dreadful – there’s no privacy now at all because they have removed all of the trees, all of the ancient hedgerows that were there before.’

Luney Barton residents Jeff, Lorraine Harvey, and Jane Collings and Bruce Bryan, with the Meadow Lakes Holiday Park behind them

Locals believe the static homes should be moved to what they deem is the correct part of the site on the north/northeastern side of the holiday park based on a 2007 planning decision

Views onto Meadow Lakes Holiday Park from Luney Barton. Bruce Bryan, who has lived in the hamlet for 33 years, said: ‘It’s farcical and has got so bad I rarely use my garden now’

He added: ‘We are not adverse to tourism at all – Cornwall needs tourism and it’s a good thing – but the planning consent must be applied you can’t just allow any static owners to do exactly what they want and the council don’t seem to want to do anything about it.’

They believe the static homes should be moved to what they deem is the correct part of the site on the north/northeastern side of the holiday park based on a 2007 planning decision and return the site back to its original 1978 planning decision of being a touring caravan and tent field for 75 units.

Mrs Harvey added: ‘We would like the touring caravan and tent site to be reinstated and the 60 static caravans to be moved and placed that it was granted for in the north/northeastern side of the site.’

Bruce Bryan, who has lived in the hamlet for 33 years, said: ‘It’s farcical and has got so bad I rarely use my garden now and I don’t use my hot tub at all anymore.

‘It lights up like the Blackpool illuminations at night. Caravans used to come and go there was no problem with that.

‘Then recently they’ve put all these static caravans and as far as we can see and we know they haven’t got full planning permission.

‘There’s no engineering being applied for, they have put roads in, street lights, sewage – you need planning permission for that.’

Mr Bryan added that the caravans are ‘very intrusive’.

‘You don’t want to sit in your garden and look at it because everyone is on their balcony with their binoculars looking at you,’ he added.

‘They are advertising in their brochures ‘what beautiful country views they have got’ – they have, they are looking at us.’

Lorraine Harvey, 69, who has lived in the area with her husband Jeff, 71, said the caravans appeared suddenly and dramatically altered the landscape

They believe the static homes should be moved to what they deem is the correct part of the site on the north/northeastern side of the holiday park based on a 2007 planning decision

Resident Jayne Collins said: ‘I’ve only been here eight years and I don’t like it because when I first came here it was beautiful and it was quiet.

‘Now there’s people there nearly all year around and cars and i just don’t like it. I’d like to see it going back to what it was – a touring field with proper caravans.’

Mrs Harvey said that Meadow Lakes had a planning application granted in 2007 for 70 timber-faced lodges (static caravans) on the north/north eastern side of the holiday park.

But they believe the caravans were wrongly placed on a part of the site closer to their homes as featured on an earlier plan.

She said: ‘When five of us went over to see the operations manager he kept repeating he was working to old plans.

‘I produced a plan for the 07/00102 and he said that they were working to old plans. But I said he was developing it on the wrong site – on the south/southwest known as 4/04/78/01500 dating back to 1978 – that was a touring caravan and tent field.

‘Seven times I emailed enforcement from January to March 2023 who stated it was not relevant to the case of the statics placed on site now.

‘But clearly it was. All I got was that it’s not relevant to this case. For the next three years I repeated this same statement but was ignored.’

She added: ‘If you go to the caravan act and have the word caravan it will give you the status of a touring, stating and tent but to put it in writing if you have the word caravan and tents together it actually refers to a touring caravan.’

She said that the owners ‘cannot’ swap 75 touring/tents for 60 statics.

Cornwall Council said: ‘Extensive investigations have been carried out relating to this site. These have concluded that the siting of the caravans in their current location does not amount to breach of planning control.

‘We carefully consider all reports of alleged breaches in planning control and while complainants’ may not be satisfied with the outcome, this does not mean their concerns have been overlooked.’

Rachel Nation, managing director of Acorn Parks Ltd, which purchased Meadow Lakes in 2009, said: ‘Regarding the development in question and the concerns raised we have fully engaged with Cornwall Council providing all information that they requested from us over a period of over two years.

‘We have also engaged with Grampound with Creed Parish Council and held a meeting at Meadow Lakes with some councillors from this parish council and also St Ewe Parish Council chairman and other councillors.

‘I have also held a meeting with Lorraine and Jeff Harvey at Meadow Lakes and explained details about the development.

‘I don’t have any specific knowledge of a plan shown to Lorraine Harvey by an ex-member of staff over three years ago, but Meadow Lakes has a long and detailed planning history.’