THE owner of a Co Donegal caravan park have been criticised for telling holidaymakers that they should leave if they are unhappy with the way it is being managed.
One caravan owner at Rosguill Holiday Park near Downings said some residents were shocked by a recent message from management asking them to vacate the site if they disagreed with “fees or any other aspect” of how the park was run.
In the email Peadar Boyce thanked those who had paid their fees for the year but added that "if any resident is unhappy with the fees or any other aspect of how we run our park then we would urge you to vacate the park as we don’t wish to make you unhappy and also we have unprecedented demand from prospective residents willing to purchase brand new mobile homes".
“If you are unhappy now then you will not be very happy when the park fees are increased in 2025 and year-on-year after this until we reach a level that we are happy with," it continued.
“We will not entertain any discussion in future regarding how we run our park. If you are unhappy then we would prefer to replace you with a family who will be happy to be on the park."
One resident on the site - which is popular with holidaymakers from the north - said they were “shocked and furious” at the tone of the communication.
The resident, who asked not to be named, said a number of caravan-owners felt the message was “blunt” and “intimidating and disrespectful” to those who had been at the park for many years.
“Some people think the owners are keen to make space for new clients who would have to buy a new caravan,” he said.
However, Mr Boyce said management had the “utmost respect” for its customers. He said fees at the park had not been increased for a number of years and would not be until 2025.
“We have offered a reduction on our fees in 2021 in recognition of the park’s closure in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mr Boyce said.
The Co Donegal businessman said a reduction would also be offered next year due to the park’s closure this year.
“The communication was not issued to make space for new clients but simply to encourage any resident who is unhappy with how the park operates to make arrangements to leave the park,” Mr Boyce said.
