Kings Down Tail near Sidmouth: plans for 59 static bases and a spa

Across the UK, long-established camping and touring parks are asking the same commercial question: how much static holiday stock do we need to stay viable? At Kings Down Tail Caravan and Camping Park, Salcombe Regis, near Sidmouth, that question is now a formal planning application. Kings Down Tail Ltd has submitted proposals for 59 static caravan bases together with spa, gym and infrastructure works. Local councillors and the Sid Vale Association have already asked what that means for the park's traditional camping and touring mix.

This post follows Sidmouth Herald reporting and states planning status accurately: the scheme is an application to East Devon District Council, not a consent. Nothing here predicts the outcome.

What the application proposes

According to the Sidmouth Herald, the scheme would:

• Demolish an existing shower block
• Install 59 bases for static caravans with decking
• Retain an existing tree house (retrospective permission is also sought for that structure)
• Convert a building that contains a swimming pool into a spa, gym and relocated reception (the pool itself would be retained as part of the spa and gym offer)
• Add new access roads, parking, drainage, landscaping and other infrastructure
• Create a new lake in the south-west field as part of surface water drainage and a lakeside area

Planning documents, as reported, say 43 of the proposed static bases would sit on land where permission for static caravans already exists. Eight new bases are proposed in the north-west field, and retrospective permission is sought for eight existing bases in the same area where units described as shepherds' huts have already been installed.

The applicant says all 59 static caravans would be used solely for holidays and would accept a planning condition restricting occupation to that purpose. The spa and gym would, the applicant says, be available to holiday park guests and the public.

Landscaping is a large part of the package: 143 new trees, around 463 metres of native hedgerow, more than 3,000 square metres of meadow planting and around 400 square metres of shrubs.

The application reference reported is 26/0665/MFUL, submitted to East Devon District Council.

Why the applicant says change is needed

Kings Down Tail was established almost 50 years ago as a camping and caravan site. The applicant's planning statement, as summarised by the Herald, says further investment is needed for long-term viability. It frames the scheme as improving the quality of on-site accommodation and enhancing the park as a holiday destination, with potential to extend the tourist season and support local jobs and visitor spending.

The applicant also argues the development would remain entirely within the existing operational boundary. Its statement says existing permissions across the affected land allow for more static, touring and camping pitches than would be provided under the new scheme, so the proposals would reduce the maximum number of pitches that could potentially operate on the site.

That "fewer pitches overall, higher-spec statics" argument is common in modernisation applications. Whether decision-makers accept it is a separate question.

What local voices have said so far

Sidmouth Town Council's planning committee deferred its response on Thursday 10 September after members said they needed more information. Councillors asked whether demolishing the shower block and adding 59 static bases would make Kings Down Tail predominantly a static holiday park. They also sought clarity on whether units would be sold or rented, and whether use would be short or longer-term holiday. The committee asked the town council's Tourism and Economy Committee for views on local tourism implications, and invited the applicant or agent to attend a future planning meeting.

The Sid Vale Association has objected. In comments submitted on Monday 14 September, trustee Philip Wragg said the association was concerned about losing the shower block and moving toward static accommodation. It questioned what type of caravans would be installed and whether they would be sold or rented to tourists or longer-term occupants. The association said planning policies favour retaining tourist facilities and worried the site could convert mostly into a static (possibly permanent) homes park without business justification. It also feared prejudice to the local camping and touring caravan tourist industry.

Those are objections and information requests, not a determination. East Devon District Council remains the decision-maker.

Planning status in plain English

For owners and neighbours reading headlines, the accurate status is:

• Submitted application, reference 26/0665/MFUL, East Devon District Council
• Not approved (on the basis of the Herald report summarised here)
• Local consultation active: town council deferred pending more information; Sid Vale Association has objected
• Applicant position: holiday-only statics, condition acceptable, within existing operational boundary, claimed reduction versus maximum historic pitch potential, spa/gym open to guests and public
• Key open questions locally: balance of static vs camping/touring, sale vs rent, short vs longer holiday use, and the effect of removing the shower block

Until the council issues a decision notice, treat social-media certainty with caution.

What owners elsewhere can learn from Sidmouth-style debates

Mixed parks across Britain are watching the same tension:

Statics often look like the viable product. Higher nightly rates, longer seasons, spa investment and decking packages are easier to market than a wet-weather camping field.

Camping and touring are still a tourism offer. Losing shower blocks and pitch diversity can shrink the kind of visitor who arrives with a tent or tourer. Local tourism groups notice.

Retrospective elements raise trust questions. Seeking permission for bases and structures already in place is legal process, but it often hardens objector language.

Holiday-only conditions matter. An applicant willing to accept a holiday-occupation condition is addressing a common fear (creeping residential use). Enforcement and wording still matter later.

Ask how private resales will sit beside new stock. If 59 bases arrive as owner-occupied or park-sales stock, older private units on similar parks can face more competition. Clarify the operator's sales and age rules early.

Soft options if planning change has you reviewing your own static

Planning rows can leave owners feeling stuck between "wait and see" and "get out before the park changes". A calmer middle path is to understand your licence, fees and likely buyer demand while the application runs its course.

If you own a static caravan or lodge in East Devon or elsewhere and want a free, no-obligation sense of value, call Static Caravan Buyer on 0800 644 5000 or visit staticcaravanbuyer.com.

Key takeaways

• Kings Down Tail Ltd has applied to East Devon District Council (26/0665/MFUL) for 59 static bases, spa/gym conversion, new lake and landscaping at Salcombe Regis near Sidmouth.
• Forty-three bases would sit on land already permitted for statics; eight are new in the north-west field; eight existing shepherds'-hut bases and a tree house seek retrospective permission.
• The applicant frames the scheme as viability and quality investment, holiday-only occupation, and fewer pitches than existing maximum permissions could allow.
• Sidmouth Town Council deferred comment pending more information; the Sid Vale Association has objected over loss of camping/touring character and the shower block.
• Status: application under consideration, not consent.

Static Caravan Buyer Team