Thanet village is “under siege” from development with holiday park plans

Developers have been accused of placing a village “under siege” after plans revealed a holiday park could be built next to a historic home.

Chapel House near Minster was given permission to open as a wedding venue in 2021, but is now seeking permission to host up to 70 families a night on its land.

The county estate’s owners say the move is “amazing” for the local economy, but some claim it will “lose more of what residents love about their historic village”.

Thanet District Council (TDC) originally granted permission for the historic Chapel House outside Minster to host weddings in 2021, in the face of opposition from some neighbours.

However, the estate could soon be even busier as the new plans seek permission to host up to 70 families overnight.

Originally submitted in September, the owners of the countryside abode are looking to install 50 “self-contained visitor accommodation lodges, 20 touring pitches and ancillary buildings including a clubhouse and gym/spa, and the creation of a swimming lake,” plans say.

Owner of Chapel House Darren Ellis told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We’ve got some accommodation on site but it is always fully booked for weddings and the like, and lots of guests ask us where they can stay, or if we have anything else they can stay in for a few days.”

He added it will not only be for wedding accommodation and will have a minimum stay of two nights, and a maximum of seven.

They plan to build the holiday park in a field close to the manor house and wedding venue.

Mr Ellis continued: “It’d be unlikely at any time it would be at full capacity but, there is always that chance, and if it was at full capacity how amazing would that be for the local economy?

“We would want people travelling into Thanet, perhaps travelling in on the train, we’ve got our own transport we can take people into the local Parkway station.

“Look at what that would do for the economy of Thanet for all the restaurants and bars having a couple hundred additional people on a Saturday night.

“It brings in outside money to our local economy and I really hope the business owners of Cliffsend and Minster would welcome it because wintertime can be hard for all of us in our area to keep our businesses sustainable.

“This project could be amazing for Thanet, it could really help bring people in and should help the local residents and businesses I would’ve thought.”

Mr Ellis has owned the venue for three years, and this year it has hosted over 100 events and received awards in only its second year of trading.

He also stressed Chapel House has created more than 40 jobs, and he expects the new development to create more than 30 if approved.

The lodges are all sout-southwest facing, and will have solar panels, so Mr Ellis thinks they’ll be able to run it effectively net zero.

TDC granted permission for the estate to host weddings in late 2021, allowing it to cater to 120 guests and offer overnight accommodation.

The titular Chapel House – at the centre of the 25-acre site – dates back to 1290 and is Grade II-listed.

The planned holiday park will also include a gym/spa, clubhouse and a swimming lake.

Not all are as enthused by the bid though.

Cllr Abi Smith (Green), who represents the area on TDC, said: “Minster is under siege from development.

“The wedding venue at Chapel House has been the subject of several noise complaints from local residents.

“This holiday village project, while it seems well considered in terms of biodiversity net gain and environmental impact, implies a substantial increase in visitor traffic with the associated noise and disturbance, as well as the loss of farmland.

“These concerns may be countered to some extent by economic benefits such as local jobs and tourist trade, but TDC must consider the proposal with great care to avoid losing yet more of what Minster residents love about their historic village.

It is not yet known when TDC’s planninAg committee will decide on the bid, but a target deadline of December 31 has been set.