A LARGE new holiday park could overload the road network and spoil the Suffolk countryside, worried objectors claim.

Richard Smith

A LARGE new holiday park could overload the road network and spoil the Suffolk countryside, worried objectors claim.

They claim the proposals for 59 caravans, 17 touring units and a site for tents near Halesworth will put too much pressure on the area and spoil the very assets that originally attract holidaymakers.

They add the peace, sense of tranquillity, views and lack of vehicles could be eroded if the scheme is approved at Grove Farm, Harleston Road, Linstead Magna.

Suffolk Coastal District Council has received 29 letters of complaint and two petitions with 70 signatures objecting to the application submitted by Diajohn Ltd.

However, there are 33 letters of support by people who consider the scheme will encourage visitors to holiday in Suffolk, that there will be new jobs and extra income for nearby shops and businesses.

The park includes proposals to encourage visitors to bring their horse on holiday and use six stables at Grove Farm. The applicants stress other facilities will not be provided on site and visitors will be encouraged to support the community.

They said: ''The resulting design has been undertaken to achieve a layout to current high standards; using small groups of caravans, creating private spaces within each of the accommodation areas, significant areas of internal planting, utilising existing landscape features such as ponds and extensive belts of structure planting around the periphery of the main site.''

But Linstead Magna Parish Council said the scheme was too large and unsuitable for the area. Metfield Parish Council said it would be an urban development in a very rural location.

''Metfield is a small village with a thriving village shop and public house but too far for potential occupants of the holiday park to walk.

''Therefore, the development would have no benefit to the village economy (in fact holiday parks often sell bread, newspapers and sweets and ice creams at the reception building).

''Linstead Magna has neither a shop nor pub so the park would have no economic impact on this village,'' said Metfield parish councillors in their submission about the plans.

Suffolk Preservation Society is concerned that in effect a new village would be created. ''The number of both static and touring caravans seems to us excessive given the very narrow and twisty road it is on, and the amount of traffic this would generate.

''The number of people staying on the site, were all the places to be filled, would create a very big demand on services, water, drainage etc and for the greater part of the year an effective new village would be created. We therefore object to this plan unless it is severely modified.”

Suffolk Coastal's development control sub committee meets on August 20 and planners recommend the scheme should be refused because it would have an adverse impact on the landscape character, ecology, archaeology, foul and surface water drainage.