Caravan and camping site licence

Introduction

There are several residential caravan and park home sites in Peterborough that are a popular choice for many people. 

Since 1 April 2014, the Mobile Homes Act introduced a new scheme for licensing park home sites to make site owners aware of their responsibilities and to ensure that the rights of the residents are protected. The scheme also means we (as a council) can charge for new site licence applications, changes to existing site licences and an annual licence fee.

Before applying online, please ensure you have read the guidance and information within this page to assist you with the application requirements and process.

Apply online

Site licences

Operators or owners of caravan and park home residential sites must hold a licence by law and always on display at the site. 

A site licence is needed to ensure standards are regulated.

This includes:

  • distance between homes
  • safety and adequacy of services and facilities, such as water supply, drainage, sewerage, electrical supply

Sites that provide permanent residential accommodation in the form of static mobile homes require planning permissions and a site licence. Planning permission and a site licence may also be needed for some holiday and touring caravan sites. 

Fees

The council has a fee policy which outlines the fees to be paid by different sites and the sites that are exempt from paying. Each site fee is calculated by the number of pitches available on the site; i.e. the more pitches, the higher the fee. 

Mobile Homes Act 2013

The Mobile Homes Act 2013 bought a number of changes to the way park home sites are run and managed. The Act aims to ensure:

  • sites are run efficiently and professionally
  • sites adhere to their licence and its conditions
  • residents health, safety and comfort are not compromised
  • it is easier for residents wishing to sell their homes on the open market, without interference from the site owner/operator.

Site rules

The Act requires site owners/operators to review their site rules and remove any rules that are banned under the updated legislation.

Site owners/operators need to follow the guidance and establish a document that lists their new site rules and is also required to hold a consultation for a minimum of 28 days for all residents and resident associations to comment. After consultation, the agree site rules must be deposited with the council and copies will be available upon request.

The site owner may set site rules on residential caravan sites. The Council does not enforce these rules, although some rules may be a duplicate of the site licence conditions. The site rules are part of the contract between the home owner and site owner, and supplement the Mobile Homes Act Agreement.​

The Council is required to keep and publish a register of site rules. We will update this page when we are notified by site owners that rules are in force. The rules that appear below have been written by the site owners, and not Peterborough City Council.

Eligibility criteria

Owners/operators of a site must be entitled to use the land as a caravan and/or camp site. We will not issue a licence if:

  • the land does not have appropriate planning permission
  • owners/operators have had a site licence revoked within the last three years.

Exemptions

Exemptions as follows:

  • a caravan sites on land surrounding a house and its use is incidental to that house
  • a single caravan sited no longer than two consecutive nights on land which caravans has not been sited for more than 28 days in the preceding 12 months
  • up to three caravans on a site no bigger than five acres, for a maximum of 28 days in 12 months
  • sites occupied by organisations who are exempt, like the Caravan Club
  • sites of up to five caravans certified by an exempt organisation and which are for members only
  • sites occupied by the local authority
  • sites for temporary and special purposes, for example; agricultural/forestry workers, building/engineering sites
  • sites for travelling showmen between beginning of October and the end of March.

Application information

To apply for a licence you will need the following documents:

  • planning permission
  • site plan - your site plan should be to a scales no less than 1:500 and show site boundaries and positions or caravan standings
  •  Where appropriate, the site plan should also show - roads and footpaths, recreation spaces, toilet blocks, store and other buildings, fire points, foul and surface water drainage, parking spaces, water supply

Before determining an application, we will consult with colleagues in Planning and any other related/appropriate authority service. We may also wish to inspect the premises before issuing a licence.

Contact us

If you have any queries, please contact Housing.Standards@peterborough.gov.uk.