A north Kent naturist club is fighting to save eight caravans after being slapped with a council order to remove them.

Sevenoaks Council refused to grant retrospective planning permission for Eureka Naturist Club to keep the caravans used to put up members following late night parties on the 23.5 acre site.

Now, 220 members of the club, which offers naked dancing, naturist massages and nude wrestling, have signed a petition in a bid to save them.

The caravans have been on the secluded site since the 70s but former owners did not apply for planning permission at the time.

Current owner, Mike Davies, has blamed salacious rumours for the council’s refusal to grant the club’s request.

He said: “It’s ludicrous.

“You can’t see in to the site from outside, anyone who claims to have seen a naked person would have to have come in.

“We have parties mainly on a Friday or Saturday night, but they are absolutely not sex parties in any shape or form but ‘no fornicating in the caravans’ – no one would say that at Butlin’s would they?

"The parties are where the caravans come in. They allow members to have a drink as they don't have to drive home."

Leader of Fawkham Parish Council, Councillor Lawrence Moss, admitted that although a handful of residents are ‘uncomfortable’ with the club, the decision to refuse planning permission is based purely on planning constraints.

 

He said: “Some people have said it makes them uncomfortable but in a general sense it doesn’t bother us.

“This was originally discussed about two-year-ago but the gestation period has taken quite a long time.”

A spokesman for Sevenoaks Council said: “We refused the application on January 30 as the proposal was deemed to be inappropriate development within the Green Belt.

“We are considering enforcement action although Eureka has indicated that it may appeal against our decision. If this is the case, enforcement action would be suspended until the outcome of the appeal.”