Holiday park wins outdoor events row with rival

A holiday park has won a fight to gain permission to hold outdoor events despite opposition from a major UK hotel chain over safety and noise concerns.

Great Yarmouth's Vauxhall Holiday Park can proceed with plans to stage live music outside until 23:00 BST.

The application was opposed by Whitbread Group, which owns a nearby Premier Inn in the seaside town, arguing adequate safety measures had not been proposed.

However, councillors voted to approve the licence for Parkdean Resorts, which operates the park off the A47 Acle New Road, at a meeting this month.

Vauxhall Holiday Park, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, has regularly held "weekender" events on site.

These often celebrate particular styles or musical eras, such as soul and Motown, ska, or music from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

Previously, however, it was not permitted to host performances in the open air.

Whitbread's solicitor wrote to the council objecting to the application, arguing it failed to provide sufficient measures in several areas, including public safety and the prevention of disorder.

An application for a new licensed outdoor seating area and beer garden was not taken forward and subsequently refused by the council.

Councillors also refused a separate proposal from Hopton Holiday Village to change its alcohol licence.

Bourne Leisure, which manages the site under the brand Haven, wanted to keep serving alcohol until 2am Sunday to Monday morning from the Garden House, which recently rebranded as a JD Wetherspoon pub.

This would have extended its licence by one hour and 30 minutes from its current permission to serve alcohol until 00:30 BST.

But it was blocked amid complaints from neighbours about noise.

However, other aspects of the application, including varying the layout of the premises and permitting entertainment from 08.00 to 02.00 on Sundays, were approved.

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