by John Prince
Proposals by a holiday park company to close Skirlington Market and move it to Hornsea Village have been turned down by the market’s operators.
Unity Holidays plans to expand its caravan park next to the market in Hornsea Road near Skipsea, meaning the site will close and traders will have to move elsewhere.
Earlier this week, Unity Holidays CEO Dermot King said the company was actively helping to look for a new home for the market, which includes the revamped Hornsea Village.
But Skirlington Market’s directors have ruled out the shopping complex in Rolston Road as an option. They are also claiming that not enough is being done by Unity Holidays to find a new site for them, despite earlier promises.
This means the market, which has been on the current site for nearly 40 years, still has nowhere to go.
A planning application for the market phase of the development was due to go into East Riding Council this week, with traders already being given notice to leave.
In an online statement, a spokesman from Skirlington Market said: “Unity Holidays have not carried out extensive research into relocation options for us, nor have they been in active discussions with landlords on our behalf.
“The only visit that took place was to Hornsea Freeport/Village, which we had already explored ourselves. Unfortunately, it’s far too small and lacks the space and infrastructure we’d need to operate successfully, so it simply isn’t viable to relocate there.
“While we’re open to future collaborations that could help bring something back to Hornsea Freeport/Village, relocating there just isn’t an option.
“It’s also been stated that new facilities, if approved, would be available for local communities and schools ‘when tourists aren’t using them’.
“Given that this is a holiday park where tourist use is constant, that promise feels unlikely to translate into genuine community access.”
A spokesman for Unity Holidays said: “We are aware of the comments made by Skirlington Market, and we fully stand by everything we have said previously.
“In particular, with regard to the suggestion we are not community focused: we already host the Sea Lion Swim School in our existing pool, which will increase in size during the second part of our work on the park.
“The third phase of planned development would create other new sports and leisure venues which will enable us to extend that offer further.
“We can also confirm that exploratory discussions have already taken place with two local primary schools.”
Plans for the site, if approved, include a new swimming pool, a sun deck and sports areas.
Thousands of people have already signed a petition to stop it from going ahead, and save the market from closure.
Unity Holidays had said previously that its decision to close the market was “not taken lightly”. If the new development is rubber-stamped, it would take the total investment into the park to more than £10 million.