Chalet owners who are being threatened with eviction from an Ayrshire holiday park say they intend to keep fighting in their bid to stay.
As many as 50 chalet owners at Redgates Holiday Park in Maidens are affected by the decision to end their tenancies.
The site owners previously branded the chalets “outdated” and said they “no longer blend with the environment.”
They also revealed they want the site cleared by 2027 to make way for a new development of holiday lodges.
All chalet owners were told in a letter they had three years’ notice and the site would be cleared.
At the time the bombshell news caused widespread shock and dismay.
Now the vast majority of the holiday home owners have banded together and formed the Maidens Chalet Owners Group.
The group’s intention is to remain on the park. However, if their campaign fails, then the group wants “fair remuneration” if they fail to stay on.
In a statement the Maidens Chalet Owners Group said they are being ‘stonewalled’ by the site owners and they ‘refuse to engage’ with them.
The statement reads: “Redgates Chalet Park is situated in the village of Maidens in South Ayrshire. It consists of 50 chalets which are owned outright and sited on ground leased from Redgates. In many cases the chalets have been passed down through many generations. These are also sought after with new owners snapping up chalets on the rare occasion they become available.
“Whether the chalets have been passed down through the family or whether they are newly owned, the chalets are huge part of our lives as owners. Our chalets have been well cared for and renovated over the many years of ownership. They are ecologically friendly, substantial timber dwellings which many of the owners hoped to enjoy for many years to come before passing on to their next generation.”
The statement continues: “This has been thrown in to doubt by the site owners Redgates, when all owners received a letter on the 15th April stating that all chalets will be cleared within the next three years to make way, pending planning permission, for static caravans in their place. No new leases are being sold which means we are now in a situation where it is not possible to sell or transfer ownership and no further details have been provided by the site owners Redgates, despite numerous attempts to engage them on this point.
“This was met with massive disappointment by all owners and led to the formation of the Maidens Chalet Owners Group. The group was formed with the aim to keep the chalets on the site at Redgates. A secondary goal, should we fail to achieve our objective, is to ensure we receive fair remuneration for our chalets in the event we are evicted from the site.
“We understand that Redgates are within their rights as part of the contract between chalet owner and land owner to give notice on the lease, however the landowner is also obliged to purchase the chalet at a price agreed by both parties (by an arbitrator in the event a value is not agreed) in the event of the lease being terminated.
“The nature of the letter sent on the 15th of April and the subsequent lack of engagement by the Redgates Directors has left a large cloud hanging over us. It has introduced anxiety and helplessness as we are at the mercy of the landowner.
“A community of 50 families and many times that number of extended families has been negatively impacted.”
In a previous statement, issued by Alison Hair, Office Manager, at Redgates Holiday Park, she said: “On the April 15, 2024 all 50 chalet park owners were advised that it was our intention to remove all chalets from the park within the next three years.
“The 60 to 70 year-old chalets, in our opinion, have depreciated fully in value and have become outdated and no longer blend with the environment and are therefore a distracting element rather than enhancing the appeal of the area.”
The statement continues: “We have owned the park for 22 years and prior to takeover the previous owners had on the agenda the immediate removal of chalets. We have therefore given the owners a reprieve of 22 years.
“The chalets may have a salvage value and an outside specialised contractor would have to be appointed for their removal.
“Bringing the infrastructure in line with present-day environmental standards is crucial.
“Redesigning the entire area, replacing the old chalets with modern lodges that cater to today’s market, these lodges would offer better amenities comfort and design.”
The Maidens Chalet Owners Group statement adds: “An article was published in the Ayrshire Post in May of this year where Redgates made claims on the worth and condition of the chalets on the site. These were the opinions of the landowner and the Maidens Chalet Owners Group does not recognise these as factual statements.
“Our situation is not unique as there many similar reports of park landowners maximising their profit without considering the impact of the existing tenants. The difference in our case is that our homes are not mobile.”
Despite repeated attempts, Redgates Holiday Park has not provided an updated response to the formation of the chalet owners’ group, or their concerns.