A PLANNING Inspector has been told giving residents permission to stay full-time on a park homes site near Beverley will encourage planning breaches elsewhere.
East Riding Council is facing an appeal against its refusal to grant full residential planning permission for people at Lakeminster Park in Woodmansey.
More than 130 people are living there full-time, even though the park licence says they must have another permanent address.
East Yorkshire is littered with similar caravan parks.
Licence conditions vary but few allow year-round occupancy.
Barrister Nicola Allan, representing the council at the two-week hearing, said: "The establishment of a retirement park home village in the open countryside would set a precedent that would inevitably encourage breaches elsewhere.
"This is particularly the case in this council's area, which has a substantial number of caravans in holiday use. The council maintains this is a flagrant breach of planning control and the development is contrary to the development plan."
The inquiry at County Hall, Beverley, is hearing appeals against the issuing of Enforcement Notices as well as against the planning permission refusal.
Opposite the council's legal team, one barrister represents a specified resident, Alan Coates, and another represents Lakeminster Park Ltd.
Planning Inspector John Braithwaite has said, after hearing the evidence, his job will be to consider the harm caused by the development against the weight of the residents' circumstances and the supply of housing land.
Regardless of the need for more housing in Beverley, the Lakeminster site is not flagged for permanent residential use.
