Caravan and mobile home licence

Introduction

Caravan and Mobile Home sites are required to be licensed. There are three main categories, which are;

  • residential sites;
  • holiday sites; and,
  • tourer sites

A site can range from a single caravan, tent or tourer on a small plot of land to large sites comprising 100s of units.

The Licensing Department are responsible for the issuing of caravan site licences, once land has obtained planning permission.

Planning permission

Planning legislation takes primacy over the legislation that governs caravan site licences this means that, the licence may only be issued after the relevant planning permission has been obtained for the site. It is recommended that before submitting an application for a caravan site licence that any potential applicant checks the planning permission permits the land to which it relates to ensure it can be used as a caravan site. Without the correct planning permission being in place, a caravan site licence cannot be granted.

It is worth noting that as a caravan site licence can only be issued in accordance with planning permission, this means if there are any relevant restrictions that form part of the permission then these will need to be mirrored on the site licence, if granted. For instance, if the planning permission only allows a site to be occupied between 1 March and 31 October, then the caravan site licence cannot be granted beyond those months.

How to Apply

Request a licensing application form and select which form you require.

Transfer of a site licence

If a licence holder ceases to be the occupier of the land, they may, with the consent of Bassetlaw District Council’s Licensing Department, transfer the licence to the person who becomes the occupier of the land. Evidence of land occupancy will need to be provided to the Licensing Department.

Amending an existing site licence

There is no legal mechanism under for a site licence holder to amend a site licence, therefore if you wish to change any aspect of an existing licence a new application will have to be submitted.

Change of address

If you are the licence holder for a holiday caravan and change your permanent place of residence, then please notify the Licensing Department of this in writing. Failure to provide us with this information may result in you missing out on important communications in respect of legislative changes and safety matters.

Site Conditions

In order to uphold safety at a site, any licence issued will be subject to conditions that must be complied with at all times. There are different sets of conditions which may be attached to site licences, depending on the type of caravans stationed on the site they are:

Inspections

Regular inspections are undertaken by the Council of all licensed caravan sites within Bassetlaw by both Licensing Enforcement Officers and Officers from the Environmental Health Department.

Enforcement of breach of site licence condition

The Council can serve compliance Notices (subject to appeal) on site owners where site licence conditions are breached. These Notices will set out what the site owner needs to do to correct the breaches, and the timescales. A fee may be charged for the Notice. Failure to comply with the Notice is a criminal offence and Bassetlaw District Council has the power to carry out works in default.

Licensing Officers of the authority have the right to enter, at all reasonable hours (after having given twenty-four hours' notice) land which is used as a caravan site or in respect of an application for a site licence has been made.


Last Updated on Friday, August 18, 2023