Plans submitted for overnight motorhome parking in Northumberland coastal car park

A site at Amble Braid has been identified by Northumberland County Council as potentially suitable.

The application has been submitted alongside a flood risk assessment which concludes the potential use is appropriate.

Last month, applications seeking permission for the overnight use of Bamburgh’s main car park and Beadnell’s overflow car park were submitted.

Neither parish council has objected and statutory consultees have raised no concerns.

However, Bamburgh resident Jill Potier Godinho fears it will lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour and litter and suggests the edge of village links car park would be more suitable.

‘Although overnight night stays are currently not allowed in camper vans, a small proportion do stay most nights and the police are powerless to make them move as the drivers simply say they are under the influence of alcohol,’ she writes in her letter of objection.

‘The problem with overnight night stays, essentially making a camp site in the middle of a village is the noise made at all times of the night whilst they ‘party’ in the car park.’

The pilot scheme is being proposed in response to the growing popularity of motorhome and campervans for visits to Northumberland since the Covid pandemic.

‘We have considered all of our coastal car parks and have identified locations where it would be acceptable to have a self-contained overnight stay where people basically sleep in the vehicle but don’t have items of equipment outside,’ the council reports in its application.

‘Undertaking this pilot outside of the busy summer months will allow us to review the viability of the project on a smaller scale and allow for any improvements to the process as we progress.

‘A formal review of the operation of the pilot scheme will be undertaken in advance of spring 2022 to assess the feasibility of continuing and expanding the trial during the summer months.’

The scheme would allow eight motorhomes to park overnight at Beadnell, with six at Bamburgh and six at Amble Braid.

There are public toilets at Beadnell and temporary portable toilets at Bamburgh but no facilities at Amble Braid.

If approved, spaces would have to be pre-booked online. Tables, chairs, awnings and barbecues outside the vehicle would not be permitted.

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