Hopton holiday homes sales increase

THE housing market in Norfolk may be in the doldrums but sales of holiday homes at Hopton have been showing an increase.

At least that is the case at Haven Holidays' Hopton Holiday Village which reports a 16pc increase in sales in the past year.

The Hopton village, where 700 of the caravans are privately owned, is the largest of all Haven's caravan parks and confirms the popularity of Norfolk as a holiday destination - although it is in marked contrast to the latest gloomy reports about the property market in the UK and Norfolk.

Land Registry figures for 10 months from July 2007 show house sales declined almost by half in Norfolk from more than 1,900 a month to just over 1,000 a month in May this year, the last date for which information is available.

Nathan Race, caravan sales manager, confirmed that most of the customers are families with young children or retired couples looking for a holiday home by the sea which is used as a weekend retreat or for extended summer holidays.

Hopton Holiday Village has direct access to a sandy beach and the award-winning park has a range of leisure activities including heated indoor and outdoor pools, a nine-hole golf course and a bowling green. This year the park has benefited from £800,000 of investment in landscaping and improving the plots on which the caravans are sited so they take even more advantage of the stunning sea views.

The caravan holiday homes start at just under £16,000 and go up to almost £76,000.

Nearby Wild Duck Holiday Village at Belton, also owned by Haven, has recently introduced Lodge Retreats - a small gated development of two and three bedroom lodge-style holiday homes to meet the growing demand for larger and more exclusive accommodation.

For more information visit www.havenholidayhomes.co.uk or ring 0871 230 1299.