Caravan Site Licence

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 the local authority.

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 5 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.

In order to ensure that conditions on site are adequate for the caravan occupants, certain minimum standards must be maintained. These include toilet and washing facilities, spacings between caravans, fire fighting provisions, electrical installations, etc. In addition, owners renting caravans to others must ensure that the gas appliances and flues are given an annual safety check by an approved gas engineer.

Once licensed, all sites will be inspected by Environmental Health on a regular basis and all complaints are responded to promptly.

Applying for a Licence

An application form and further details can be found at the ‘How to apply’ section.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Caravan Site Public Register