THERE were cries of “shame on you” from pensioners when councillors refused to upgrade their holiday homes to permanent residences.

More than 50 people packed the public gallery at the Forest of Dean Council’s planning meeting, as the owners of 41 mobile homes at Clanna County Park near Alvington sought to secure the right to live there full time.

But despite hearing that many of the static caravans had been occupied permanently by their elderly owners for years, councillors said it would “open the floodgates” to more development of the countryside if they set a precedent for holiday homes to change status.

After the decision, defiant Clanna resident Ann Thomas vowed: “We feel very unfairly treated and we’ll keep fighting.

“They said at the end that we wouldn’t be kicked out, nothing’s changed, and we can keep staying there. Well if that’s the case, why can’t they let us live there legally.

“The parish council backed us, but it cut no ice. We’re getting older by the minute, and we just want security and to be legally part of the community.”

In a passionate plea to the council, the 77-year-old former Alvington parish councillor had said: “Please allow us to live without fear of the future in what will be for many of us the last few years of our lives.”

Three-quarters of the home owners were in their late 70s and 80s, many had been on the site for “upwards of 15 years” and they were supported by the parish council, she added.

“We believe our homes are residential. Many of us had to sell our original homes due to the financial crash and loss of pensions and Clanna was the least expensive property to maintain,” she said.

Home owners paid council tax of around £40,000 a year for the park, and shopped at two shops within walking distance and supported local tradesmen.

“We sit on the parish council, we run neighbourhood watch and are members of the Alvington development plan,” add­ed Mrs Thomas, who lives at Clanna with her 88-year-old husband Curwen.

“We are members of the church, the Women’s Institute, leisure centre, volunteer at the library, work for local charities, help with the electoral register and man the polling booths at elections.

“We fully support each other and are a caring community. We are not a drain on the council. We maintain and pay for our own roads and lighting and pay full council tax, so we are sustainable.

“We have a lower age limit of 50 and thus the number of people cannot escalate with an influx of children, and the site is well maintained and a haven for wildlife.”

Homeowners are supposed to vacate their caravans for part of the year, but councillors were told many were unable to move out due to health issues.

Backing their bid, Alvington, Aylburton and Lydney ward councillor Jim Simpson (Ukip) said the homes were “immaculate” and if the application was rejected, more than £280,000 in council tax should be repaid to residents.

Cllr Roger Yeates (Bromsberrow/Dymock, Con) added: “Why are we causing these people so much stress?”

But Cllr Chris McFarling (Newland/St Briavels, Green) said: “It’s one of the most difficult decisions we have to take, but if we allow this, it would endorse the route for all developers to build holiday homes and then change to residential dwellings, and our beautiful countryside would be dotted with these developments.”

Cllr Lynn Sterry (Cinderford West, Lab) added: “You can’t get a residential position on a tourism ticket. But that doesn’t mean these people are going to be turfed out just because of this. Many of these people have been there since 1991 and they are not going to lose their homes.”

Councillors backed the recommendation by planning officers to refuse the application by eight votes to three, prompting cries of “shame” from the public gallery.