Kerry caravan sites may face closure

Some of the South-West's most popular caravan parks face possible closure under a new get tough policy by Kerry County Council…

Some of the South-West's most popular caravan parks face possible closure under a new get tough policy by Kerry County Council.

One 100-year-old caravan and camping site at Rossbeigh Spit, which is owned by the council, will be closed this summer because it is in breach of water pollution laws and EU conservation regulations, it has emerged.

There are indications that a number of other private caravan sites on Kerry beaches in breach of standards and operating without planning permission face closure by Kerry County Council.

Others are to be issued with enforcement notices for non-compliance with planning permission on over-crowding and breaches of sanitary services laws.

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The caravan and camping site on Rossbeigh Spit, which is a Special Protected Area in one of Kerry's premier Blue Flag beaches, does not have a proper sewage treatment system. The EU Commission has received complaints about the matter, Mr Martin Nolan, Kerry county manager, said.

He warned that low standards were no longer acceptable and the council could not set down standards while in breach of them itself.

The facilities on the caravan park in Rossbeigh, which hosts up to 100 units during the season, were extremely basic, a report commissioned by the council has found. The toilets have no wastewater treatment facilities and sewage discharges directly to ground via a soak-pit. Traffic from the site to and from the front beach damages the sensitive sand dunes, which are already suffering from quad bikes and other interference.