The future of an abandoned seaside holiday park is still in “limbo” with bosses showing no signs of reopening the site.

The Pontins holiday camp next to Camber Sands, a hugely popular beach just over the Kent border, has sat empty ever since owners Britannia Hotels shut it with “immediate effect” a year ago today.

Residents in the village say while the roads are quieter, the closure has had a knock-on effect on employment, businesses and footfall.

While rumours have circulated over what the future might hold, no plans have ever been announced for the park in New Lydd Road.

When asked by KentOnline what they would like to see happen to the site, the majority of residents said they hope it will stay as a holiday park as the tourists could help “bring back life” to the village.

Mariana Inocencio, 26, said: “It used to bring a lot of people to Camber so it would be nice to see it back open, maybe under new management to make things better.

“It's not just summer, people also come there throughout the year too so now it is very quiet.”

Sixty-year-old Terry Archer, who lives opposite the park says it would “be nice to see it open again” so long as they “tidy it up a bit”.

He added: “It does look a bit of a state.

“There have been lots of rumours about what will happen but nobody really knows.

“We need work in the area so it would be nice to see it open from that point of view. It could bring some life to the area.

“It will just fall to pieces if it stays as it is.”

The holiday park had a small Nisa Local shop on site which recently closed in September.

Resident Rebecca Piper says losing this facility has had the biggest impact on immediate neighbours.

“It has been quieter traffic-wise too,” the 33-year-old explained.

“Before there were times when it would take me an hour to get from one end of the road to another.

“It has been abandoned, and it seems like nobody knows what is going to happen with it.

“Everyone is curious about it. I don’t want it to be knocked down and turned into a housing estate.”

However, villager Chris Maynard says he would instead like to see the site used to build new homes.

He added: “We have had a lot less visitors and the local economy has suffered.

“I think personally it should be housing and handed over to the local authority because it's their land.”

Recently elected MP Helena Dollimore (Lab) for Hastings and Rye says she has met with owners Britannia Hotels who “committed to take part in further discussions” with her and the council about “how to move this forward”.

She told KentOnline: "I am committed to working with our local community and bringing together all the stakeholders in this situation to try to end this limbo and get the best outcome for Camber.”

All the entrances to the site have been fenced off and the only signs of life that remain are the security lights that are left on 24 hours a day.

Eastern Rother ward councillor Paul Osborne says the appearance of the site is “sad” and “disappointing”.

During the summer months, Pontins could easily take 2,000 people at any one time”, said Cllr Osborne.

“That's 2,000 people a week, all staying locally who were in the vicinity whether it was sunshine or rain.

“A lot of them used to come by public transport so the bus company used to put on extra buses in the summer to get people to and from.

“And the taxis had a busy time running people back and forth.

“But from speaking to the Chamber of Commerce, I understand that’s dropped off a cliff and that's a direct result of the closure.

“Now it just looks sad. The entrances are all fenced off so that doesn't look very good.

“And the annoying thing is all the security lights are on. The lights are on, but no one is home. It's disappointing.”

Cllr Osborne says soon after the closure different operators expressed an interest in taking the site on but “no one could get hold of Britannia Hotels”.

“It is frustrating seeing it sat there because it's not going to get any better,” he sad.

“It's going to go downhill quickly if left as it is so it would be best if someone else could get in there and give it a tidy up, refurbishment and get it opened - because there must be a market there.

“It would be good to see it reopened as a holiday park rather than something else entirely.”

The camp was built in 1968 and covers 32 acres with 820 self-catering chalets.

It has a total capacity of around 3,000 guests.

When the closure was announced, the site in Camber Sands was shut along with another Pontins in Prestatyn in Wales.

However, last month Britannia Hotels confirmed redevelopment plans were underway for the site in Wales with the aim of re-opening the holiday park as soon as possible.

The company has been approached for comment.