The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 (opens in new window) prohibits the use of land as a caravan site unless the occupier holds a site licence issued by the local authority.
What is classed as a caravan site?
A caravan site includes anywhere a caravan (including a mobile or park home) is situated and occupied for human habitation. This includes both touring and single sites. Sites can be for permanent holiday caravans (utilised as holiday caravans), touring caravans or permanent residential caravans.
How to apply
If you wish to change the use of land to a permanent caravan site you must have planning permission before you apply for a licence.
Apply for a Caravan Site Licence
To apply for a Caravan Site Licence you must complete an application and submit a plan of 1:500 scale showing the layout of the roads, caravans and facilities.
Exemptions
A caravan site licence is not required for:
- Incidental use within the curtilage of a dwelling house.
- A single caravan sited for no more than two consecutive nights, for a maximum of 28 days in 12 months.
- Holdings of five acres or more, if not occupied more than 28 days in 12 months and by a maximum of three caravans at any one time.
- Sites occupied by exempted organisations such as the Caravan Club.
- Sites of up to five caravans that are certified by an exempted organisation and are for members only.
- Sites occupied by the local authority.
- Sites for special or temporary purposes, such as agriculture and forestry workers, building and engineering sites and travelling salesmen.
- Sites where caravans are kept for storage only (driveways, retailers, storage parks).
Licence conditions
We have the discretion to withhold a licence and may specify conditions on any licence we grant.
These conditions will be tailored to the individual application. Site licence conditions are designed to protect the health, safety and welfare of caravan occupants and include:
- the type of caravan
- fire safety precautions
- sanitary facilities
- the positioning, density and distance between caravans.
Once licensed, sites will be subject to routine inspections to ensure compliance with the conditions. All complaints will be investigated.