11 January 2023 , 12:42
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A Pontins holiday camp is closing down for three years to house nuclear power plant workers.
The Brean Sands resort in Somerset will undergo a major refurbishment before hundreds of workers from Hinkley Point C are housed there.
By the end of the year as many as 900 nuclear power plant workers will be living at the Pontins, Somerset Live reported.
The upgrades to the park should benefit visitors to the Pontins once it reopens to the public in three years time.
The first members of staff have already moved into the resort following an application from EDF Energy to Sedgemoor District Council to change the use of the camp.
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It is unclear if the nuclear power plant workers get to use all of the facilities (Stephanie Balloo)The site will be used for Hinkley Point for three years before it reverts back to its original use, meaning fans of the resort can expect to return there one day.
Improvement works include upgrades to the 600 chalets that are onsite and the installation of WiFi.
A spokesman for EDF said: “EDF has taken over the site for three years in order to house 900 Hinkley Point workers and undertake a multi-million pound refit of the park to ensure the accommodation is of a high standard for workers.
"After the three years, the park will revert back to tourism use. The phased approach to the refurbishment is going well and we expect to complete later this year.
"There are around 50 Hinkley Point C workers staying at the site currently and we expect that to rise to 900 by the end of the year. We expect to finish the refurb later this year.
“We expect a total capacity of around 900 workers at the Pontins site.
"The renovations represent a multi-million upgrade to the site which will provide a long-lasting benefit to tourism in the area.
“Hinkley Point C has an on-site accommodation campus that houses 510 workers, as well as another campus in nearby Bridgwater that caters for an additional 986 people.”
The Pontins site, visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, is around 15 miles from the Hinkley C site and owned by Britannia Hotels.
Nicola Fawkes went to Pontins Brean Sands with children Lexie, 13, Laila, 10, Lilly, six, and Jack, five (MEDIA WALES)Hinkley Point C is expected to start operation in June 2027 - a year later than originally planned.
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In the past the holiday complex had come under fire from guests who complained about dirty and outdated chalets.
One of those guests was Nicola Fawkes, from Ynyshir in Wales, who said her children were left in tears by the "absolutely disgusting" accommodation at the Brean Sands resort.
The family were shocked to find rubbish and dirt "everywhere" in their rooms during their visit last year.
The 37-year-old mum, her four children, parents and niece had originally planned to stay at the nearby Sandy Glade holiday park but when they arrived late on Friday they found it was closed because of Storm Eunice.
"Pontins has its reputation," said Nicola. "We had our cleaning essentials ready, expecting a bit of dust.
"With Covid, I naively thought they'd have stepped up their game but nothing could prepare us for what we walked into."
Pontins was approached for comment at the time.