THE owners of a luxury lodge park have re-submitted plans to extend their site despite receiving the thumbs down last month.

Colt Park Farm at Aldingham, on the Coast Road near Ulverston, put forward plans to South Lakeland District Council in January for 84 additional pitches, on the same site as Doe Wood Lodges.

Proposals were put forward to add the spaces for touring caravans on farmland that already includes holiday lodges.

However, SLDC refused the application last month on the grounds that the extension would 'represent an unsustainable form of development.'

The SLDC went on to say that 'it has not been clearly demonstrated as to why it is essential for the development to be located in a rural area and whether the proposal would adequately support a rural based business.'

Undeterred, the owner of Doe Wood Lodges, Mr Towers, has re-submitted an application with a number of concessions, including: the site area has been reduced by half, the number of pitches has been reduced by 34; and the access arrangement has been altered.

According to the planning documents, the extra caravan spaces would mean the creation of two to three full-time jobs, an additional £98,490 for the local economy per year, £350,000 capital investment into the local construction industry, an increase use of local transport services, rebalancing the tourism economy, focusing on the Morecambe Bay Estuary, provision of much-needed touring holiday pitches; and support for an existing business which has over 13 years trading experience.

The online application states: "As this proposal is for an extension to an existing, well established caravan park, it is considered that the proposal would contribute to the existing business and the local economy."