A holiday park owner has quashed rumours that he is building an “airport" and a “car park” next to a beach.

Nick Love has had to defend himself after various accusations were made against him, including illegal dumping.

He says the reality is he is simply protecting his caravan site and preventing coastal erosion with a new sea wall.

The 61-year-old owns Little Groves Leisure Park in Leysdown on Sheppey.

He has spent about £100,000 and had several surveys done over the last 13 years to get permission to level an empty field and create a sea defence.

It is needed, he says, to prevent rising sea levels from washing away his business and flooding parts of Warden.

He said: “This wall will hold all the sand on the beach in place, stopping the beach from eroding, and stop flooding when we have a high tide.

“The sea wall will also connect Warden Bay and Leysdown with a new coastal path.

“Once the area has been levelled, filled in, and a new sea wall completed, the field will be for recreational use only.

“The caravans are getting bigger and our recreational ground is getting squeezed.

“Once finished this will be somewhere for kids to bring their footballs and play on, just a big green space, nothing will be built on it.”

There is already a sea defence around the holiday park, which has belonged to Nick’s family since the 1920s.

However, due to climate change and global warming Nick wants to build a secondary defence closer to the sea so his business is better protected.

He added: “When we finish the sea wall we’re going to put road stone on top of it so people, and disability scooters, can use it in all weather.

“This is my land and I’ve never stopped dog walkers or anyone else from using it.

“However, when we started this work, making a mess, everyone was up in arms because they couldn’t walk on it.

“The work we are doing is to tidy everything up, level it and keep it tidy.

“We’re just improving the land, there are no hidden secrets, and we’re not building an airport or a car park like some people have suggested.

“We were even accused of illegally dumping.”

Nick confirmed that every bit of material he is using on the site has to be processed and declared fit for purpose.

He said: “We’ve covered all bases and we’ve informed everyone who needs to know about what we are doing.

“Over the last 13 years we’ve had ecological surveys and all sorts. It’s a very lengthy process.

“I’ve spent about £100,000 on this and the benefit is just so I can cut the grass, keep the area clean, stop the beach from eroding, and have two sea defences instead of one.

“The permit from the Environment Agency to allow us to do this was £25k alone.

“Many a person would have given up but I want to look after my holiday park and land.

“Previously, many years back, there was an aerial photo taken that showed the sea brimming the sea wall right by the holiday park.

“If the sea defence had collapsed my campsite would have been wiped out.

“I am aware of the rising sea levels and all of this is about protecting my land.

“It is never in our interest to row with people, we interact with them and they know our faces.”

Nick, who lives on-site, says the work could be finished in three months if the weather was on his side.

However, due to the amount of rain recently the land has been unworkable and a finishing date for the project is more likely to be towards the end of September.

Addressing other rumours that have been circulating online about what the land could be used for, he added: “This is not going to be a campsite or a car park.

“That rumour came about as once a year we have a camping club, and on another occasion, a truck show, use my other field for their events and we occasionally use this one we’re working on as an overspill car park. That isn’t a constant thing, just a one-off.”

Little Groves Leisure Park is open from March 1 until December 31.

During the summer months, Nick also charges £10 per car so beach-goers can park up right on the sand and enjoy the spot of private seaside he owns all day.