Caravan site licences
Legislation
Legislation
The main pieces of legislation that regulate caravan sites are:
Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960
This contains the requirement for occupiers (this usually means the freehold owner) of caravan sites to hold a caravan site licence.
It is a criminal offence to operate a caravan site without holding a site licence and anyone convicted of this offence can face an unlimited fine
It allows local authorities to place conditions on the site licence to control matters such as the separation of homes (and other structures) for fire safety; to ensure that the electricity, water, gas and oil supplies are adequate and safe; to ensure that the site is maintained to a reasonable and safe standard.
Where site owners are in breach of their licence conditions, local authorities can serve compliance notices on them, requiring that works are undertaken to remedy the breach. Failure to comply with a compliance notice is a criminal offence and anyone convicted of this offence can face an unlimited fine.
In some cases, the council can decide to undertake works themselves, but this would normally be in exceptional circumstances; such as an emergency
More information: Caravan Sites and control of development Act 1960 (legislation.gov.uk)
Mobile Homes Act 2013
This made some changes to the way that councils can regulate licences. It also made changes to the relationship between the owners and residents of caravan sites.
Further information on the rights of residents: Mobile Homes Act 2013 (legislation.gov.uk)
Last updated: 22/05/2024 15:43
