THE owners of a theme park in North Yorkshire have launched a bid to allow holidaymakers to camp on three of their fields all year round.

Flamingo Land Ltd wants to remove planning constraints covering part of its site at Kirby Misperton which limit the times when caravans can be housed, saying the changes are necessary to allow the holiday resort to compete with its rivals.

They have also said allowing visitors all-year-round use of Orchard Field, Log Cabin Field and Beechgrove Field would ensure the park meets national guidelines on tourism planning and how proposed developments should be dealt with.

At present, caravans can only be used on the sites between March 1 and October 31, due to planning restrictions dating back to 1993, but Flamingo Land Ltd now wants the accommodation to be available over the winter. Three separate applications, covering each of the fields, have been handed into Ryedale District Council and a decision on whether the conditions can be removed is expected to be made next month.

“The removal of the current restriction will bring Flamingo Land into line with many competitors who are now able to operate on an all-year-round basis,” said a planning statement, submitted to the council by Malton-based estate agents and chartered surveyors Cundalls, acting as Flamingo Land’s agents for the application.

“None of the occupancy of any of the units would be on a permanent basis, and they would be for holiday purposes only.”

The company said Flamingo Land would still have to apply for new licences for the three caravan sites, with the current restriction. Orchard Field would have space for 38 caravans, although the capacity of the other two sites has not been confirmed in planning documents sent to the council.

The resort opened in 1959, with the zoo being officially launched nine years later. It now attracts 1.8 million visitors a year.