A COCKERMOUTH leisure park is planning on making the most of the expected rise in staycations this summer with an expansion.

The Violet Bank Holiday Park, located on the south-eastern edge of Cockermouth, off Simonscales Lane, is looking to add some 34 static holiday pitches to its site, a planning vision put forward to Allerdale Borough Council.

The applicant Mr Hanley, said the expansion would bring several benefits to the area.

In a planning statement, Graham Anthony Associates, who are acting on his behalf, stated: “The site provides a number of social benefits for the local area.

"Firstly, through the promotion of Cockermouth to visitors as a result of a general company profile and the quality of the tourism offer proposed.

They added: “The development is likely to support an increase in public transport provision due to an increase demand for bus services in and around Cockermouth, which will also benefit local inhabitants.

“The nature of holidays in the UK has become increasingly diverse with people going away several times a year, no longer exclusively in the summer months.

"The impact of the development on the local economy in Cockermouth is heightened given that the community is still heavily reliant on tourism and farming.

"Therefore, the addition of further holiday caravans at the park will provide a sustainable boost for the local economy helping to facilitate job growth and prosperity."

They also pointed out that the development would enable Cockermouth to maximise the economic benefits of the expected upturn in the amount of people taking staycations this summer.

“While the pandemic has hit the overseas holiday and leisure industry hard, the domestic self-catering holiday industry is set to experience rapid growth when restrictions are relaxed.

“There are many reasons for people shifting holiday preferences including the prospect of quarantining in hotels, the slow role out of the global vaccination process, and the anxiety created over confined air travel to name but a few.

"Therefore, never before have rural economies had such a positive market platform to create jobs and prosperity for residents and local business owners.”

View the application in detail at allerdale.gov.uk

Use reference: FUL/2021/0080