Caravans

The Caravan and Control of Development Act 1960 prohibits the use of land as a caravan site unless the occupier holds a site licence issued by us. There are some exceptions:      

• a caravan sited with the curtilage of a dwelling and its use is incidental to the dwelling. This means it cannot be occupied separately
• a single caravan sited for not more than two consecutive nights for a maximum of 28 days in any 12 months
• up to three caravans on a site of not less than five acres for a maximum of 28 days in any 12 months 
• sites occupied by exempted organisations such as the Caravan Club
• sites of up to five caravans certified by an exempt organisation and which are for members only
• sites occupied by the local authority. These are usually gypsy sites
• sites for temporary and special purposes such as caravan rallies, agricultural and forestry workers, building and engineering sites and travelling salesmen
• a site for tents only can be used for a maximum of 28 days in any 12 months.                     

A site licence is granted following permission from the planning authority to station caravans on land and cover units used as permanent residences, or for holiday/seasonal purposes or for touring. The permission from planning will restrict the numbers of units and their use; the site licence will specify conditions requiring sufficient amenities to be in place such as water and sanitary facilities and electrical installations.

New Caravan Site Occupiers should transfer the existing licence. The law requires us to give consent for the transfer. The new site occupier should send us the licence with a request for transfer and we will either endorse or re-issue it. 

Potential Site Occupiers should check that all the land used for siting caravans has planning permission and that the details correspond with the Site Licence. Planning permission must be obtained if it is proposed to change the use of the land to a permanent caravan site before a licence can be issued. 

The Mobile Homes Act 2013 amended the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 to enable us to set and charge fees to reclaim the cost of administering and monitoring site licences and applications in respect of ‘relevant protected sites'. Check the Mobile Homes Licensing Fees Policy (PDF, 173KB, 9 pages) before applying.