A tourism business in Wells has won a national conservation accolade for the tenth successive year.Pinewoods Holiday Park has received a gold award in the David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme.

A tourism business in Wells has won a national conservation accolade for the tenth successive year.

Pinewoods Holiday Park has received a gold award in the David Bellamy Conservation Award Scheme.

The scheme was founded by the popular naturalist to celebrate holiday sites which enhanced Britain's natural environment.

Assessors drawn from local wildlife trusts and conservation bodies assessed the caravan parks' efforts to create havens for wildlife, reduce energy use and minimise wastage of resources.

In previous years, Pinewoods has bolstered the reed beds in the lake bordering the park, built a new recycling centre and fitted solar panels to heat the water in toilet blocks.

And in 2009, the green initiatives which helped swing the judges' decision included the �12,000 purchase of two electric buggies to replace petrol vehicles for staff and groundskeepers.

Manager Richard Seabrooke said: “Conservation is a key part of our work here and we take it into account in every aspect of our business.

“I think it is a selling point, but it is one of many. Whether people come here because we have won this award, or whether it is because we have Wells beach just next door, I don't know. But it is part of the package.

“The whole philosophy is something we work with and are conscious of all the time in the decisions we make - and to win this award 10 years running means we are reinvesting and doing it right.”

Pinewoods has 564 static caravan pitches as well as 118 touring pitches, and sees as many as 7,000 visitors during the height of the summer.

The park has been run by Holkham Estate since 1996 and is situated near Wells beach, fringed by mature pine trees and close to the Holkham National Nature Reserve.

Mr Seabrooke said the protected landscape enhanced the quality of the site, but made it “virtually impossible” to gain planning permission for any expansion.

A development of 17 new static caravan pitches, due to be completed next month, has meant the necessary sacrifice of some touring pitches.

But the conservation philosophy has not been compromised, as all the new caravans will be supported by slim concrete runners rather than giant solid slabs to improve drainage.

Mr Seabrooke said he expected to spend about �35,000 on landscaping and planting this year, including native species which thrive in saltwater environments, and some specifically to attract butterflies.