Caravan and mobile homes site licensing

Caravan site licence

If you have land and you wish to use this for the positioning of static or touring caravans, you will require a caravan site licence under the provisions of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960.

A caravan is any structure, designed or adapted for human habitation, which is capable of being moved from one place to another (towed or transported), provided its dimensions, when assembled, do not exceed 20m in length, 6.8m wide and 3.05m in height.

No caravan site licence can be issued if either the land does not have planning permission for use as a caravan site, or the applicant has had a site licence revoked within the previous 3 years.

The occupier of the land must apply in writing to the council for a caravan site licence. No fee is payable for a holiday use only site.

The following are exempt from the requirement for a caravan site licence:

• incidental use within the curtilage of a dwelling house (i.e. where the occupier(s) use some of the facilities within the main dwelling)
• single caravan used by a person for not more than 2 nights and 28 days in 12 months
• holdings of 5 acres or more, if not more than 28 days in 12 months, and a maximum of three caravans at any time
• sites occupied and supervised by exempted organisation
• sites approved by exempted organisations for up to five caravans
• meetings organised by exempted organisations
• agricultural and forestry workers
• building and engineering sites
• travelling showmen
• sites operated and owned by a local council, county councils or regional councils

Camping sites

• Licences for camping in tents only are issued under the provisions of the Public Health Act 1936
• However, no licence is required if the land is used for camping in tents for not more than 42 days consecutively or 60 days in a year

Mobile homes site licence

The Mobile Homes Act 2013 introduced a new site licensing regime for “Relevant Protected Sites” (i.e. park home sites and mixed sites of both residential mobile/park homes and holiday homes) which came into force on 1st April 2014. The new site licensing regime gave local authorities more effective control of conditions on relevant protected sites. In appropriate cases, it provides local authorities with the tools required to take enforcement action including the power to serve compliance notices in relation to breaches of site licence conditions, emergency action powers, and the ability to carry out works in default and recover expenses.

Fit and proper person

The person responsible for the day-to-day management of a Relevant Protected Site (other than a non-commercial site occupied by members of the same family) is required to apply for inclusion in the Council’s Residential Homes Sites Fit and Proper Persons Register.

A register is currently being compiled, please email eh.enquiries@tewkesbury.gov.uk for further information.

Applying for a caravan or mobile home site licence

You must include the following with any application for a new licence or variation:

• The type of caravan or camping site – permanent, residential, holiday or touring
• The maximum number of caravans and/or tents
• Details of Planning Permission(s) or Certificate of Lawful Use NOTE: Site Licences can only be issued on the same terms as the planning permission
• A detailed 1/500 scale layout plan of the site, showing boundaries and hard standings. Where appropriate include roads, footpaths, toilet blocks, flood and surface water drainage, water supply, play areas, fire points and parking spaces
• Details of arrangements for refuse, sewage and wastewater disposal
• Proof of land occupancy (registered title) obtained from the Land Registry

Who can apply?

• You must be either the person, organisation or company that occupies the land
• The council won’t grant a licence for a Holiday Site to anyone who has held a licence which has been revoked in the past 3 years
• If you’re applying for a residential site licence i.e. for Mobile/Park Homes, you and/or your site manager must be included on the Council’s Residential Homes Sites Fit and Proper Persons Register – more details on this can be found in the Mobile Homes (Requirement for Manager of Site to be Fit and Proper Person) (England) Regulations 2020

What will we do?

• If you already have planning permission, we will process your application within 2 months
• If you have applied for planning permission, we will process your application within 6 weeks of permission being granted
• We will determine what conditions will be attached to the licence
• We will keep a register of all licenced sites – please see the Register of licenced caravan sites section below for the register
• Sites will be inspected annually

What are site licence conditions?

• Conditions make sure a site is safe and must be complied with at all times
• All conditions are based on model standards set down by government in 2008
• The council can alter conditions at any time but must allow a licence holder to make representations
• Where site licences are subject to pre-2008 licence conditions, these will be replaced as annual inspections take place with new conditions based on the 2008 Model Standards

Can I appeal against conditions?

Yes, but talk to us first. If you are still unhappy you have the right to appeal to the Magistrates Court in respect of holiday and touring sites or the First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) for relevant protected sites, within 28 days of the licence being issued.

What happens if I don’t comply?

The council can prosecute if you don’t have a licence or you breach a condition.  This can result in the licence being revoked and unlimited fines on conviction.

If your licence is revoked, you can’t hold another licence for at least 3 years.

Can I transfer or amend my licence?

• You can transfer a licence with consent from the council if you sell or transfer the land.  You must provide evidence of the new ownership
• You can apply to vary a licence, for example, to increase the number of pitches, but must provide evidence of having obtained Planning Permission or Lawful Use Certificate prior to the variation being issued
• You can apply to vary a licence if you change your address or wish to apply to vary any conditions

Register of licenced caravan sites

The Council keeps a register of all licenced caravan sites. You can find the latest register here: Public Register of caravan sites (June 2023)

Fees

• There is no fee for a holiday or touring site licence
• Fees are payable in accordance with the following table in respect of Relevant protected Sites (Mobile Home/Residential Sites) including those with mixed use

How do I pay my licence fee?

Pay your fee online at Payments – Tewkesbury Borough Council and attach a copy of your on-line receipt with your application.

You will be issued with an invoice for your annual fee when the annual inspection is carried out or for charges related to enforcement action.

Schedule of site licensing fees

New application fee

• Band A – 1 caravan/family:
  • exempt
• Band B – 2 to 5 caravans:
  • £300
• Band C – 6 to 20 caravans:
  • £350
• Band D – over 20 caravans:
  • £400

Annual fee

• Band A – 1 caravan/family:
  • exempt
• Band B – 2 to 5 caravans:
  • £200
• Band C – 6 to 20 caravans:
  • £225
• Band D – over 20 caravans:
  • £250

Other fee

• Compliance notice fee (per notice issued):
  • £350
• Other enforcement action:
  • £120 minimum (2 hours) – additional hours at £60 per hour
• Variation of site licence:
  • £225
• Transfer of site licence:
  • £100
• Deposit of site rules:
  • £50
• Registration of “Fit and proper person”:
  • £225 + £130 per Additional person

Application forms

Please email completed application forms to: eh.enquiries@tewkesbury.gov.uk.

• Caravan site licence application (pdf, 174 KB)
• Caravan site transfer application form (pdf, 99 KB)
• Caravan site variation application (pdf, 69 KB)
• Mobile homes fit and proper person application (pdf, 311 KB)