Centenary Park, New Forest

Wayne and Judie Seaborn
Wayne and Judie Seaborn Forum Participant Posts: 181
100 Comments
edited September 2016 in UK Campsites & Touring #1

How disappointing, first busy week of the autumn after the kids have gone to school, yet this site has pulled many good, usable pitches. This means members are squashed into the areas left open rather than having the choice of nice still well grassed pitches.

That is of course after one waits in a long queue to book in with just 1, yes 1 warden on reception. All this quality for £25  a night, hey ho. Where are the Wardens at such busy times, busy finding jobs to do rather than assisting members. When will the
club understand it needs to respond to commercial demand, why should members have to put up with 2nd rate standards

Comments

  • Pliers
    Pliers Forum Participant Posts: 1,864
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    edited September 2016 #2

    How disappointing, first busy week of the autumn after the kids have gone to school, yet this site has pulled many good, usable pitches. This means members are squashed into the areas left open rather than having the choice of nice still well grassed pitches.

    That is of course after one waits in a long queue to book in with just 1, yes 1 warden on reception. All this quality for £25  a night, hey ho. Where are the Wardens at such busy times, busy finding jobs to do rather than assisting members. When will the
    club understand it needs to respond to commercial demand, why should members have to put up with 2nd rate standards

    Never mind, W & J, enjoy the New Forest, beautiful area at this time of the year.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited September 2016 #3

    Some very valid questions......

    When you charge top dollar, you really do need to be up with the rest in terms of service.

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited September 2016 #4

    Can one hope that one day we will get a positive post from SerialWhingersRus.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited September 2016 #5

    As usual a post from the usual wingers without as usual any substance

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited September 2016 #6

    You can please some of the people some of the time ............ 

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #7

    As usual a post from the usual wingers without as
    usual any substance

    Tom Jones would have been proud of your post...Wink

    similarly, i suspect Bryan Singer would be too?Undecided

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,311 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #8

    I don't have any problem with folk being critical, however if I was so dissatisfied with what the CC offer, l would go elsewhere. They just seem to come back for more and more of the same bad service and unsatisfactory sites. Also have they not thought,
    the grass pitches may have been pulled because they need time to recover, while the grass is still growing and to avoid damage as we move into autumn.

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #9

    i would have thought that most grass pitches, especially in the south with sandy, well drained ground, would be pristine at this time of year.....

    in fact, there has been a shortage of rain here for the last few weeks....

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited September 2016 #10

    A commercial site that we use regularly in the south west closes its most popular pitches (all pitches are grass) at the end of September, for re-seeding.

    Beginning of September seems rather soon, especially if the site is still relatively busy.

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,311 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #11

    It does seem a bit early. However, Clumber park is also on very sandy soil and we have had low rainfall this year, has some badly damaged grass areas. Unless someone else who has been to the site recently can comment, we only have W&J's definition of still well grassed pitches to work on. I have certainly noticed sites retiring some grass pitches as early as this, often to aerate and reseed.

  • ChrisnJohn
    ChrisnJohn Forum Participant Posts: 22
    edited September 2016 #12

    We were there at the start of July, and the wardens were adding non awning pitch markers between the hard standings to make extra grass pitches, and opened up the additional grass area.  I think it is a seasonal strategy rather than weather dependent, I
    assume there is a start and end date set for when the additional grass pitches are made available to meet summer demand. 

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited September 2016 #13

    Note of course who the post is from ,and as usual probably completely out of context with what is actually the real situation there,and another attempt to cause which normally works ,a "debate"about nothing

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,403 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #14

    Hope you're enjoying your holiday in the New Forest, W&J, it's a lovely part of the country.

    And at least you won't have been disappointed about where you're staying - you must have known there'd be something to complain about! Wink

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,436 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #15

    W&J, there must be something you both like about club sites as you keep going back?

    Did you talk to the wardens about your concerns, at a less busy time of course?

  • Hoodmansion
    Hoodmansion Forum Participant Posts: 25
    edited September 2016 #16

    If W&J had bothered to ask/speak to the wardens, they would have discovered that there is a Planning Condition in force that only allows the grass pitches to be open for a short space of time. Something to do with competion Foot in Mouth

  • moulesy
    moulesy Forum Participant Posts: 9,403 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #17

    I'm not sure W&J do "asking"! Wink

  • Randomcamper
    Randomcamper Club Member Posts: 1,062 ✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #18

    or replying....!

  • RedKite
    RedKite Club Member Posts: 1,717 ✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #19

    As Hoodmansion said a planning condition and local council will only allow certain areas ie. some grass pitches to be open in the school holidays as we found out from then warden on site a few years ago not the current wardens.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited September 2016 #20

    If W&J had bothered to ask/speak to the wardens, they would have discovered that there is a Planning Condition in force that only allows the grass pitches to be open for a short space of time. Something to do with competion Foot in Mouth

    Can you provide a link to the planning approval document that says that?

    It would be a very unusual condition to place on a development, as it would restrict the number of visitors to the area - not something that councils normally want.

  • ErnieJH
    ErnieJH Forum Participant Posts: 114
    edited September 2016 #21

    If W&J had bothered to ask/speak to the wardens, they would have discovered that there is a Planning Condition in force that only allows the grass pitches to be open for a short space of time. Something to do with competion Foot in Mouth

    Can you provide a link to the planning approval document that says that?

    It would be a very unusual condition to place on a development, as it would restrict the number of visitors to the area - not something that councils normally want.

    If you look on the New Forest Council planning application search page and put in the postcode of the site the information is there, you may have to dig around but I'm sure it will provide the information you need.

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited September 2016 #22

    If W&J had bothered to ask/speak to the wardens, they would have discovered that there is a Planning Condition in force that only allows the grass pitches to be open for a short space of time. Something to do with competion Foot in Mouth

    Can you provide a link to the planning approval document that says that?

    It would be a very unusual condition to place on a development, as it would restrict the number of visitors to the area - not something that councils normally want.

    If you look on the New Forest Council planning application search page and put in the postcode of the site the information is there, you may have to dig around but I'm sure it will provide the information you need.

    I just looked (it was delegated to the New Forest National Park planning authority, apparantly).

    The CC applied in 2009 to have a restriction lifted on the numbers of caravans allowed and were granted this.

    They are now allowed 275 units during the peak season (July, August, Easter, early May and Spring Bank Hol weekends) i.e. the full capacity of the site.

    At other times they are restricted to 200 units (which would be the 125 hardstandings plus 75 grass pitches, presumably).

    If anyone wants to have a read it's here

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited September 2016 #23

    So it just goes to prove ,to some who are more ,shall we say "negative" about some aspects of how sites are managed,there are areas of the cc that are not as black and white as some think

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited September 2016 #24

    I suppose the question is.......are they in fact using the 75 grass pitches that they are allowed to use?

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited September 2016 #25

    I suppose the question is.......are they in fact using the 75 grass pitches that they are allowed to use?

    ...You could always ring and ask if it is that important

  • IanH
    IanH Forum Participant Posts: 4,708
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    edited September 2016 #26

    I was rather hoping that someone staying there could answer.....or the wardens, perhaps?

  • DavidKlyne
    DavidKlyne Club Member Posts: 13,872 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #27

    I suppose the question is.......are they in fact using the 75 grass pitches that they are allowed to use?

    Might that depend on the condition of the pitches? I have been on a few sites in September where the grass pitches have been badly worn. Perhaps the OP might help us here? He did say that in his opinion many where useable but not what percentage.

    David 

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
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    edited September 2016 #28

    With only half of grass ones being available, wardens should be able to rotate usage to recover the ravages of 'high season'.

  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,607 ✭✭✭
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    edited September 2016 #29

    Maybe W&J are just too busy enjoying their holiday to be bothered with CT! Let's hope so.
    Wink

    Enjoy.Happy

  • anothersunrise
    anothersunrise Forum Participant Posts: 264
    edited September 2016 #30

    We stayed at the lovely Black Knowl  site recently and I must say that some of the grass pitches were in need of a rest.