Caravans and mobile homes
Pages in Caravans and mobile homes
- 1. You are here: Caravans and mobile homes
- 2. Register of caravan and mobile home sites
- 3. Mobile Home Site Rules
We are responsible for licensing all the residential mobile home (caravan) sites in the borough. We charge a fee for this in line with the fees and charges policy for licenced mobile home sites.
For a licence to be granted for a caravan or mobile home site, the site must have planning permission.
Some caravans do not need licences, for example: caravans used by showmen or forestry workers; and caravans used in connection with a dwelling house.
The council does not licence gypsy or traveller sites, sites for touring caravans or holiday sites with static caravans.
Licensed residential mobile home sites
The sites or parks shown on the public register page are licensed for permanent residential use.
The larger ones have individually owned mobile homes. The licence holder listed in the public register owns the park and the mobile homeowners rent a pitch on the park.
The smaller ones (eight homes or less) are generally owner-occupied by individuals who also own the land on which they are sited.
None of the sites or parks in this section are licensed to take touring caravans unless the details for the site or park include a permitted number of touring units.
None of the sites or parks in this section are licensed for static holiday caravans, camper vans or tents.
What is contained in a Residential Mobile Home Park Licence?
A licence is concerned with the health and safety of the occupiers of the park and their visitors too.
It usually contains clauses relating to the following topics:
- the number of homes allowed, and the space required between homes
- additions to homes and what may or may not be permitted e.g. porches
- fire-fighting arrangements and equipment
- electrical installations
- LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) storage (bulk and portable tanks)
- roads and footpaths
- lighting
- drainage
- refuse storage
A licence does not deal with other Park Rules, which may have been set out by the licence holder.
Such rules might include prohibition of ball games or pets.
Resident information
The Council has the power to enforce the conditions of a Residential Mobile Home Park Licence.
We will investigate the allegations and may then take action.
We will always refer to our housing enforcement policy (PDF) before taking any formal enforcement action.
If you live on a residential mobile home site and you need adaptations carried out in your mobile home to assist you with day-to-day tasks then you may be eligible to apply for a disabled facilities grant.
Fit and Proper Person Test
All licensed mobile home sites must be managed by a ‘fit and proper person’, under the Mobile Homes (Requirement for Manager of Site to be Fit and Proper Person) (England) Regulations 2020, This is the person with day-to-day responsibility for managing the site, whether that is the site owner, or a person appointed to undertake the task on the owner’s behalf. We charge a fee for this in line with the fees and charges policy for licenced mobile home sites.
Applicants must show that there are suitable financial and management arrangements in place for the site and to provide information relating to their conduct, such as any contraventions of the law, harassment of persons in connection with the carrying out of any business, or disqualification from acting as a company director in last 10 years.
The Council will determine if an applicant can be added to the register of fit and proper persons.
Operating a site and failing to comply with the fit and proper person test is a criminal offence and carries a penalty of an unlimited fine.