Former holiday camp ballroom demolished - Here's what's coming next

It hosted everything from bingo to discos and line-dancing spectaculars over its decades by the Norfolk coast.

But now the last vestiges of the dance hall at the former Mundesley Holiday Camp on Paston Road have been demolished to make way for 18 new lodges for visitors.  

Timothy Hay, managing director at the site, which is now the Mundesley Holiday Village, said the works reflected changing tourism trends.

"It's a massive transformation from an old-fashioned holiday camp like Butlins or Pontins to something more Center Parcs style, which is more aspirational and affordable," Mr Hay said.

"The old model provided food and entertainment so there was no money going out into the local economy. But we don't provide those things, so people go out to local pubs, buy fish and chips and visit Cromer Pier. It's good for us and it's good for the local area."

When the site was opened in 1933 it was only Britain's second purpose-built full catering holiday camp. But as the decades rolled on more people could afford to take independent holidays and the ballroom had not been used in years.

Mr Hay said north Norfolk was in the perfect position to benefit from an upswing in the domestic holiday market, and said its growth had been spurred on to new heights by the coronavirus pandemic. 

He said: "A year ago, if you had asked what is the best place in the world to go on holiday you might have heard Paris, Venice or Tokyo. But a year later people are saying 'let's go to north Norfolk, let's go to the coast'.

"We've taken advantage of this massive swing that's changed our movements and really changed us forever."

MORE: End of an era as old holiday camp ballroom - Norfolk’s first - is demolished

Mr Hay said he was mindful that many businesses in the hospitality industry - particularly pubs and hotels - were facing difficult times. "But once we can get the virus contained we think north Norfolk is in a great position moving forward," he said.

My Hay said the new lodges would all be in place by the 2022 holiday season. He said there would then be about 60 lodges, 50 bungalows and 10 residential barns on the site, replacing 204 chalets that were then when it was a holiday camp.