‘We were misled’: Devon caravan owners fight to save their homes on Dartmoor

People living in caravans on a holiday park in Devon have been told they could lose their homes because their landlords have broken planning rules.

Now, the residents of 14 unauthorised caravans at Devon Oaks Holiday Park at Magpie near Tavistock are preparing to fight for their futures.

Members of Dartmoor National Park Authority’s (DNPA) planning committee voted ‘with heavy hearts’ to authorise their planning officers to enforce the rules – and that could mean the homes being removed from the site.

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The chairman of the residents’ association told the meeting that people had been ‘misled’ when buying their homes into believing they could live in them for 11 months of the year.

Barton Park Homes, which owns the site, did not have a representative at the meeting. The company has been invited to comment.

Officers told the committee that ‘holiday’ caravans and a chalet on the site, formerly the Magpie Leisure Park, had been in full residential use without the necessary planning permission.

ABOVE: Devon Oaks Holiday Park (Credit: Google Maps)

DNPA members carrying out a site visit found many of the caravans had gardens, porches, fences and private parking spaces, and were being used as their owners’ main residences.

Despite a series of appeal decisions and court judgements, the DNPA had been unable to resolve the issue, with ‘no prospect’ of doing so without taking enforcement action.

Legal action can now be taken to remove the unauthorised caravans. People living in them would have six months to make other arrangements.

A report to the meeting said the issue was affecting residents’ mental health, including causing depression, anxiety and stress.

The report went on:

“Many of the occupiers state that they bought their caravans in good faith, having been told by the site owners and their sales agents that they could occupy the units for 11 months of the year.

“Several have sold their homes and relocated to Devon to enjoy their retirement in a safe and tranquil environment, only to find out later that the units can only be occupied as holiday accommodation, and for only eight months of the year. Few appear to be fully aware of the authorised planning position for the site.”

Occupiers say they cannot afford to move from Devon Oaks, with a lack of affordable alternative homes in the area. Living in their homes for just eight months of the year would be completely impractical, they say.

Residents’ group chairman Chris Griffiths told the meeting: “These are our homes, our savings and our futures. We invested in these homes expecting security and stability. We were misled.”

Committee member Michael Fife-Cook said he had been born in a caravan and understood the strength of the caravan community.

“None of us here wants to force people out of their homes,” he said. “We should be able to find a better way than just demanding that people leave.

“This is about a landowner who has not followed rules and regulations, and the people who are really suffering here are the people who have done nothing wrong.”

Fellow member Sally Morgan agreed: “None of us wants to be in this position, and it is with a heavy heart that we have to support our officers. But we also support the residents.”

In response to the threat to their homes, the residents have launched their own Devon Oaks Project, an education and environmental initiative for the site. The two-year project could be funded through donations, grants and contributions from the site owners.