'Dismayed' caravan site residents facing eviction

A man who has lived on a mobile caravan park for 25 years said he was "dismayed" at being given six weeks to leave.

More than 60 families living on Mount Pleasant Caravan & Camping Park in Christchurch, Dorset, have been told they need to leave by 28 February.

Resident Tony Cameron said he and his wife did not know where they were going to go, adding: "We're effectively going to be homeless."

Regency Living, which recently acquired the site, said it had to close it to carry out works, adding it was working with BCP Council to help find accommodation for affected residents.

In total, 67 families have been told they must leave by 28 February.

Mr Cameron, who lives on the site with his wife, said there was a sense of "community" in the caravan park.

"Everybody knows everybody else, we all get on together, we all look out for each other," he said.

"No one really knows what's happening."

He said being told they had to leave their home of more than two decades was traumatic.

"My wife is upset, she suffers with depression anyway," he said

"I've been... here 25 years. I've built up a home here.

"It's not that simple to just up and leave with a caravan, as though you're on a holiday park."

Alison Brandon-Kirby, another resident of the site, said she loved her life there.

"I like being outdoors, I like being in nature, I love to hear the birds sing, but more importantly we are a community of people who stick together," she said.

She said she was "really shocked" when she received the letter.

"The first thought was 'well, where am I going to live?'," she said.

"They say 'you're not homeless because your caravan is your home'. Well, I am homeless because I've got nowhere to put my caravan."

She also said that some caravans on the site were unable to be moved, and that finding another year-round residential site would be difficult.

"I am a strong person. I'm not allowing this to worry me but I am worried," she said.

"You can't not be worried."

A spokesperson for Regency Living said: "Mount Pleasant is currently a touring field with infrastructure, operations and occupants with oral pitch agreements for holiday occupation purposes only.

"As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the health and safety, compliance and good governance of our parks, we have taken the decision to close Mount Pleasant in order to carry out works to ensure the future long-term viability and compliance of the park.

"Mount Pleasant does not currently meet our standards for a permanent residential park and requires significant investment to bring it up to standard before this can be viable."

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