Caravan site licence

Licence for a caravan site

Caravan site licensing is governed by the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960.

Land owners must not allow their land to be used as a caravan site unless it holds a valid site licence other than for certain exemptions such as:

  • Incidental use within the boundary of a dwelling house
  • Sites approved by certain organisations i.e. caravan club etc
  • Building and engineering sites
  • Travel Sites occupied by the Local Authority

Annual Inspections

An inspection of any site holding a licence shall be undertaken annually by an Environmental Health Officer.

Licence conditions

Licences have conditions which include:

  • The type of caravan, e.g. residential, static holiday or touring
  • The permitted density (the number per acre/hectare) and the spacing between caravans
  • Water supply and drainage; lavatory and washing facilities
  • Fire precautions and electrical installations
  • Roads, footpaths, hardstandings and parking standards

Administrative requirements

If you are a caravan site occupier you should have a licence already but you should check that your name, the site name and address is correct and up to date. Also check that the licence corresponds with your planning permission. If not, you should send us the licence for re-issue.

If you have recently become a caravan site occupier licences are transferable to a new occupier but the law requires us to give consent for the transfer. You should send us the licence with a request for transfer and we will either endorse or re-issue it.

If you are a potential site occupier- you or your legal advisor should check that all the land used for siting caravans has planning permission and that the details correspond with the site licence.

If you wish to change the use of the land to a permanent caravan site use you must have planning permission before a licence can be issued.

Applying for a Licence

Any occupier can apply to the Local authority for a site licence. The application must be in writing and valid planning permission must be obtained before a licence can be issued. They must be issued within 2 months of a valid application.

An application must be completed and accompanied by a site plan at 1:500 scale showing the layout of roads, caravans and facilities.

The licence will state such conditions as the local authority think necessary to protect the residents on site. These conditions are normally based on model standards and can be varied or removed at any time as circumstances change.