PLANS for an extra 19 pitches at a caravan site in East Dorset have been submitted to the council.

The scheme for Hill Cottage Farm Camping and Caravanning in Alderholt near Fordingbridge includes extending the park to include the landscaped pitches for caravans.

These will include electricity and water. There are also proposals to replace and upgrade an existing toilet block and build a small toilet block.

The applicants say extending the pitch area will boost the local economy by around £90,000 - by increasing the numbers of visitors spending money in the area.

A planning statement adds: "We do not claim that allowing this proposal is essential to the vitality of the area’s tourist industry.

"However, we do say that it is important. In this particular case, we consider that it is appropriate to

allow the touring caravan park to expand in a carefully controlled and regulated way.

"Farm diversification is an important part of protecting our countryside as it encourages the husbandry of the woodlands, hedgerows and fields that we wish to see maintained in an attractive and appropriate way."

Local businesses, including pubs and restaurants, have also written with their support for the application.