Pontins Brean Sands holiday camp in Somerset has remained closed to holidaymakers for another year, and the decision is facing major backlash. The park has been shut to the public since late 2022 because it is housing around 900 people working at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station construction site.
A senior figure in the county's tourism sector has criticised EDF Energy's "continuing failure" to mitigate the use of the holiday camp by the workers. In addition to refurbishing the site, EDF pledged to deliver mitigation funding to offset the park's closure, including the economic impact on local businesses, many of which rely on seasonal trade.
Tourism Chief Calls for Action
Alan House, chairman of Discover Brean, asked Somerset Council this week to force EDF to provide details of this mitigation as soon as possible, or trigger legal action against them. The council said it was concerned about EDF's "lack of urgency" but said many of the issues surrounding the site were outside of its control.
The council signed a legal agreement surrounding EDF's use of the site in March 2023 and commissioned an economic impact assessment in the summer of 2024, which EDF subsequently rejected. Under the legal agreement, EDF and the council must "discuss additional measures" of mitigation if the holiday park remained occupied after December 2025, reports Somerset Live.
Nine Months Beyond Trigger Date
Mr House addressed this issue at length when the council's executive committee met in Taunton on Wednesday (October 7). He said: "I am asking the executive to intervene in the continuing failure to resolve tourism mitigation arising from EDF's use of Pontins Brean Sands for Hinkley Point C workforce accommodation.
"We are now nearly nine months beyond the trigger date, yet there is still no agreed overall mitigation fund, no determination of what 'appropriate' mitigation means, no agreed method for assessing proportionality, and no firm timetable for resolution."
Discover Brean put forward its own proposals for mitigation in October 2025, before meeting with council and EDF representatives in May 2026. EDF has provided interim funding for advertising and free beach parking, but Mr House said this was not enough to "provide the certainty needed to plan Brean's tourism recovery".
Council Response and EDF Statement
Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and assets, was unable to attend the meeting in person but provided a response in advance, which was read aloud by council leader Bill Revans. He said: "I remain concerned about the apparent lack of urgency from EDF in resolving the workforce uplift matters.
"Officers and I have been engaging with EDF and negotiating to achieve the best possible outcomes for the people of Somerset, while acknowledging that in many instances mitigation is a voluntary process for EDF. The speed of reaching a conclusion can be frustrating – but as the mitigations last for many years, it is important to get this right."
Regarding the possible use of legal action, Mr Rigby said the council would first "consider all options" to find a speedy resolution to this long-running issue. He added: "Should officers conclude that further discussions are unlikely to achieve a resolution, we will consider all options available to us under the agreement, including the independent expert provisions."
EDF Energy has stated on its official website that £2m had already been invested in the Brean Sands site, which would "leave the site in a better condition for future holiday use". A spokesperson added: "We accept that some businesses could be affected by our use of the holiday park during the summer season. To help, we have stepped in with business support grants and we're funding marketing campaigns to bring new visitors to the area. Businesses wanting to make use of the direct support available can apply via a dedicated webpage. Our use of Pontins bring benefits to the local economy for 12 months a year, beyond the current few months of the holiday season."
