Caravan Site Information
 
Caravan Park Image
 
UPDATE: 08 JULY 19 (Min 324.10) "... A resident had suggested to the Chairman that tenants at Riverside and Purn Holiday Parks are now able to have twelve-month residency by paying a fee to the park committee. Cllr Solomon was asked to check the residency status of the two parks. They are self-contained holiday parks with shop, bars, entertainment, etc. Clerk to check the electoral roll and to write to NSC for clarification of the status of the parks."
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Government Information:
  • Caravan Site Licence Information - "You must have planning permission for the caravan site before you apply for a licence."  "Your licence will last as long as you’ve planning permission for the caravan site."and "The council may put conditions on the licence"
  • Camping Licence Information - "You must have planning permission for the campsite before you apply for a licence."  
  • Park (mobile) homes - rights and obligations - "You could be forced to leave if you live on a site without planning permission for residential use."
North Somerset Information:
  • Carvan Site Licences - You need this licence if you are responsible for land on which caravans are regularly sited. This includes touring, holiday and residential caravans or park homes. Link includes the public register indicating that Purn is a non-residential Static Holiday and Touring, no information relating to a camp site licence.
  • Licencing & Permits - Purn International Holiday Park (Link)
Other Information:
  • Rowan Water - Residential Status vs. Holiday Status: What is the difference? - "Many Lodge Owners have been mislead by unscrupulous Park Owners and are actually unaware that by living in their home on a full time basis, they are breaking the law. In recent years some Park Owners have been allowing their Residents to live in holiday dwellings for a full 365 days of a year which is in breach of the legislation surrounding the occupancy of holiday homes. The Council have wised up to this and have been cracking down on Park Owners and Home Owners alike for Council Tax evasion."
  • Money Saving Expert Forum - "If the caravan is used as your sole or main residence in the UK, it will be subject to council tax. If you primarily let it out to others for holidays and only occupy it when you have no lettings, then it would not be treated as a sole or main residence." and "The pitch is what is banded rather than the actual caravan"
  • NACO advice on Council Tax at Static Holiday Caravan Parks "In recent months we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of enquiries regarding council tax at caravan parks. It seems that many local authorities (LA) are undertaking investigations at holiday parks to ensure that all owners are council tax payers elsewhere."

How can 'we'/NSC/BPC ensure that holiday homes do not become permanent residencies without consultation and correct approval, and correctly counted in Bleadon's residential home count? 

 
 
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Information relating to the 57 new units at Accommodation Road

 

This site is outside the Settlement Boundary.  28 Sept 2015 Application 15/P/2304/F - Application for "Change of use of land from a mixed use of agriculture and seasonal car boot sales to use as a holiday lodge and caravan site" for 57 units (map)

  • Granted by NSC 04 July 2016.
  • 18 Nov 2015 BPC only made a General Observation to NSC regarding traffic issues but no mention  of this application being outside of the Village Fence (P54.4)

 

28 Sep 15 related application 16/P/2471/F to "Application to remove or vary condition Nos. 2, 4 & 9 on application 15/P/2304/F ... in respect of plans, occupancy restrictions an .."

  • The 5 Jan 2017 NSC Grant Notice of Decision states:
  • "The holiday lodges or caravans shall not be occupied as a person's sole or main place of residence. The lodges or caravans hereby permitted shall be used for the purposes of General approval decision notice self-catering holiday accommodation and for no other purpose, including short term residential leases or any other purpose in Class C3 of the schedule to the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended) or in any provision equivalent to that Class in any statutory instrument amending, revoking and re-enacting that Order with or without modification. The owners/operators of the site shall maintain an up to date register of the names of all owners/occupiers of individual holiday accommodation units on the site together with their dates of arrival and departure, and main home addresses. That register shall be made available at all reasonable times for inspection and copying by the local planning authority for record keeping purposes. Reason: To ensure that the holiday lodges/caravans are not occupied as primary residences in order to comply with policies CS33 of the Adopted Core Strategy, Policies DM44 and DM45 of the Sites and Policies Plan Part 1." (Decison Notice) Delegated Report
  • 17 Nov 2016 BPC does not support the application due to traffic issues but no mention of it being outside the Setllement Boundary (P62.6.5).

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Information relating to the existing Purn Caravan/Riverside Holiday Park

See related BOB Blogs

 

This site is outside the Settlement Boundary. It seems that due to a lack of monitoring and enforcement, following a long term breech of conditions, the existing caravan park became an all year round operation in 2014, subsequently approved by NSC and BPC. The applicant seems to have chosen their application submission timing and process to ensure a positive outcome for them i.e. withdrawing one application and submitting a different type within a year.

 

11 Sept 1989 NSC Website: Application 0739/89: Decision for 50 static caravans to replace touring caravans

  • Provision of 50 static holiday caravans to replace touring caravans. Decision: Approve with conditions.
  • No NSC link to original applications or to conditions, therefore slight confusion over information. 

5 Feb 1990 NSC Website: Planning permission 2980/89: Decision for operation of holiday park on 11 month per year basis.

  • Decision: Approve with conditions
  • No NSC link to original applications or to conditions, therefore slight confusion over information. 

21 June 2013 13/P/1135/F:  application to vary a condition attached to 2980/89  to allow touring caravans to remain on site all year round 

  • The Park is occupied for eleven months of the year and closes from 10 January to 10 February.  No touring caravan or tent to be located on the site during the period 10 January – 10 February in any year.  Reason: to discourage permanent residential use. 
  • How many units are currently on site are they in the correct location, is it 163 i.e. 50 static caravans plus 113 touring units?
  • July 2013 BPC refuse application,with reference to outside the settlement/village boundary and permanent residential units! "The Planning Committee recommended refusal as any permissions given would make this park a wholly residential site which is not the intention of a holiday park".
  • 28 Aug 2013 NSC Website: Application withdrawn by applicant (Decsion Notice)
12 March 2014 14/P/0605/LDE: Application for a Lawful Development Certificate to allow all year round use.
  • 5 June 2014 14/P/0605/LDE Delegated Report (PDF)
  • Point 4.3 In the case of any other breach of planning control, no enforcement action may be taken after the end of the period of ten years beginning with the date of the breach. The time limit for taking enforcement action is ten years. 
  • Point 5. What is the date of the application and has the time for taking enforcement action expired? The application dated 11/03/2014 and so the period within which enforcement action could be taken is from 11/03/2004 to 11/03/2014. As such, the time for taking enforcement action has expired.
  • Conclusions Planning permission was granted 22 November 1989 for operation of holiday park on eleven month per year basis under planning application 2980/89. Condition 2 states no static caravan shall be occupied during the period 10 January to 10 February in any year. Condition 3 states no touring caravan or tent shall be located on the site during the period 10 January to 10 February in any year. The reason for these conditions are to discourage permanent residential use. The applicant claims that touring caravans have remained on site throughout the year in breach of condition 3 of planning application 2980/89. The council has no evidence to dispute the applicants claims and therefore the certificate should be granted.
  • Recommendations The evidence has been assessed as set out above and the local planning authority is satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that the information provided supports the claim and in consequence the application should be approved. The information is sufficiently precise and unambiguous to justify the grant of a certificate.
  • 17 April 2014 BPC Comments (click on Whole Doc - Bleadon Parish Council: 14/0605 - Recommendation was to approve but no mention of it being outside the Settlement Boundary.
  • 5 Sept 2014 14/P/0605/LDE NSC issues the Certificate of Lawfulness - "The existing use of the land for the siting of touring caravans throughtout the year including during the closed period of the site from 10 January and 10 February but with no occupation during the period 10 January and 10 February in any calendar year"

12 Mar 2014 14/P/0609/LDE  - Application for Certificate of Lawful development for the existing use of a static caravan as a permanent residential dwelling 

16 Jun 2017 17/P/1502/F - Proposed change of use of land from camp site to the siting of 90no. static and touring caravans

  • 12 July 2017 "Bleadon Parish Council has no objections to this application, however the Parish Council would like to request that the developer to be asked to contribute to the levy for the general improvement of traffic issues likely to be caused by the development particularly at the junction of the A370." (Min 297.8)
  • BPC has 'no objections' despite this application being outside of the Settlement Boundary and that 64% of residents have 'reservations' and/or 'definitely' do not want "tourism development/attractions". See Parish Plan information page. Also that it doesn't appear to be an official campsite at the present?

19 Feb 2019 19/P/0427/FUL

Application to vary condition 2 and remove condition 5 i.e. the approved 'restricted' layout, on application 17/P/1502/F,  ... to allow a change to the approved layout (Map with PROW) See BPC Min 326.14 'noted'?, also occupancy query

...  and to the make original site all year round use like the new 40 caravans extension 17/P/1520/F.

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RELATED BLOGS

 

22 OCT 2017 Caravan Expansion Approved. Both BPC and NSC approve the caravan site expansion with reduced 40 units

 

13 AUG 2017 Is Bleadon set to be the next Brean Tourist and Leisure Area? Includes a £5 Million development article (on top of the £7 million in the last few years). What Section 106 or CIL money has Bleadon received for this major development?

 

08 JULY 2017 90 Static and Touring Caravans at Purn/Riverside Village

 

21 SEP 2016 Bleadon Wildlife being evicted