Enforcement action follows a seven-year planning tussle over ‘unauthorised’ development
A lodge being lifted into position on the Silver Bay Holiday Park in 2018
Two formal enforcement notices citing “significant visual harm” have been issued against an award-winning seaside retreat on Anglesey. The action, against Silver Bay Holiday Park near Rhoscolyn, could result in six luxury lodges being removed and extensive land reinstatement carried out.
The near-the-beach lodges were built on artificially raised land to give them sea views “to die for”. They were part of Bulmer Leisure’s Bay View development, begun in 2018 to accommodate 25 lodges.
Silver Bay Holiday Park was established almost 40 years ago by the famous cider-making Bulmer family, basing it in on the Bodior Estate they once used as their own holiday retreat. The park offers access to one of Anglesey’s most unspoilt beaches and a decade ago a luxury leisure complex was built as part of a £2.5m site upgrade.
Bulmer Leisure argued the land in question had been an integral part of the venture for more than a decade, with no barriers between it and the rest of the caravan park. Moreover, the site had been clearly distinguishable from the open land beyond, said the company. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
Under pressure from Anglesey Council, which issued two second enforcement warnings, Bulmer Leisure made three attempts to secure the lawfulness of its Bay View extension. As far back as September 2018, the company was advised to stop work – or to continue “at their own risk”.
Residents claimed the park’s extension involved ‘major engineering works’ to raise ground levels for new lodges
The local authority is now enforcing two notices. The first addresses a “material change of use of land” from open countryside to holiday use through the “unauthorised siting of six static caravans”. This also applies to associated engineering works including “land level changes”, access construction, and hardstanding installations.
A council spokesperson said: “These developments were carried out without planning permission and have resulted in significant visual harm to the rural and coastal character of the area.”
The second notice relates to a breach of condition attached to the extension’s historic planning permission in 1995. A council spokesperson said: “The current layout and type of caravans do not align with the approved plans, and the required landscaping scheme has not been implemented.
“This has led to a material increase in built form outside the defined development boundary.” More on the planning background can be found here.
Both notices will take effect on November 21 unless an appeal is lodged with the Welsh Government. The council has given Bulmer Leisure 12 months to remove the lodges and associated works, and 18 months for full land restoration, including the reinstatement of land to its original levels.
The site’s leisure complex
According to the council, the work carried out at Silver Bay was considered contrary to several policies within the Anglesey and Gwynedd Joint Local Development Plan, as well as national planning guidance.
A spokesperson added: “Both enforcement actions highlight the council’s concerns about the detrimental impact on the AONB and an adjacent Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).”
Bulmer Leisure has been approached for a comment about the notices and their implications for affected lodge owners. Previously, the company said opposition to its extension had contained “exaggerations and inaccuracies”.
Cllr Nicola Roberts, Anglesey’s planning and public protection portfolio holder, said the council was committed to protecting Anglesey’s unique and sensitive landscapes.
She added: “These enforcement actions reflect our duty to uphold planning controls and ensure that development takes place in a lawful and sustainable manner.”
Local campaigners had raised funds previously to mount legal objections, highlighting what they claimed was the development’s “detrimental impact” on Anglesey’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Objectors said they were not opposed to caravan sites or tourists, adding: “This was only ever about protecting this unique coastal environment from an unauthorised and environmentally destructive large-scale development.”
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