A proposed new coastal development in Dorset, England, is facing backlash as locals rally against what they call a “high-density holiday village” on one of the nation’s most protected shorelines.
The Bridport and Lyme Regis News reported that more than 1,000 people have signed a petition demanding a public consultation over plans by West Dorset Leisure Holidays to transform the former low-impact Eype Beach Holiday Park into a site for 13 luxury lodges.
The project, Thorncombe Heights, sits within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its dramatic cliffs and fossil-rich beaches.
Opponents say the development could cause “irreversible damage” to the landscape. They add that not only are the lodges “unwelcome,” but the development also “makes a mockery of the protective designations.”
Critics also say they will have “a negative impact” on the lifestyle of locals and on stargazing.
Meanwhile, West Dorset Leisure Holidays, which bought the site after planning permission was granted, has defended the project.
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Managing director Martin Cox called the description of the lodges “misleading,” saying they are “aesthetically pleasing” and will help the local economy through tourism and job creation.
“I am pleased to be able to manage this historical planning extant permission and invest in a positive development,” Cox said, per Bridport and Lyme Regis News. “I recognise that it is impossible to please everyone.”
For the petitioners, this fight is also about accountability. The project was approved under permitted development rights, meaning it didn’t require full planning permission or a public vote.
Critics argue that the loophole allows high-impact developments to slip through the cracks in environmentally sensitive zones.
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A Dorset Council spokesperson explained that site owners don’t have to give details to the planning authority if they consider “the site is in accordance with certificates of lawfulness.”
However, if the Council receives complaints about compliance, it will follow up with its own investigation.
“Unlike the campsite, the lodges are permanent dwellings,” said a spokesperson for the group Eype Environment Protection, which launched the petition.
“The development has been allowed without any public consultation — despite the scale of its impact on a place that is protected at the highest level. What is the point of these protective designations, if developments like this are allowed to go ahead?”
They added: “We ask that this damaging and unacceptable ‘holiday village’ development is prevented, limited or compromised in order to protect Eype’s special nature and respect the local community.”
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