Do you need to obtain a licence from North Devon Council?

The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 requires that, subject to certain exceptions, no occupier of land shall cause or permit any part of their land to be used as a caravan site unless they hold a current site licence in respect of the land.

Site licences will only be issued after the relevant planning permission has been obtained for the site, and all the required supporting documentation has been received.

Definition of a caravan and caravan site

A caravan is “any structure designed or adapted for human habitation, which is capable of being moved from one place to another (whether by being towed or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer) and any motor vehicle so designed or adapted”.

Caravan refers to all mobile homes including holiday caravans, residential caravans, touring caravans and camper vans.

A caravan site is “land on which a caravan is stationed for the purposes of human habitation and land which is used in conjunction with land on which a caravan is so stationed”.

Issuing a site licence

The site licence is usually issued once an application has been received and processed by the Council. Please note, we may ask you for additional documentation or information as part of the licensing process.

We are unable to process incomplete applications, so we require a fully complete application in order to make a determination on your application.

Where you already have planning permission in place, we have a duty to issue the licence within two months of receipt of a complete application. If planning permission is not obtained until later, the licence must be issued within six weeks of the permission being obtained. In each case, the period may be extended by written agreement between you and the local authority.

If you have held a site licence that has been revoked in the last three years, we will not issue you with a new site licence.

Please note, different site licences will be issued depending on whether you have applied for a holiday or residential licence, and the application process for these licences will also differ due to the different information required for each type of application.

Site licence exemptions

You will usually require a camping or caravan site licence and planning permission to use an area of land as a campsite.

However, there are some exemptions. These exemptions are outlined on our website.

The application process

To apply for a caravan licence, you will need to include the following documentation / information with your application:

• the type of caravan site for which the licence is required – permanent, residential, seasonal or touring
• the maximum number of caravans that are proposed to be on site at any one time for the purpose of human habitation 
• a layout plan of the site, to a scale of not less than 1/500, showing the boundaries of the site, the positions of caravan standings, and, where appropriate, the positions of roads and footpaths, toilet blocks, stores and other buildings, food and surface water drainage, water supply, recreation space and parking spaces
• a site plan 
• evidence of the right to occupy the site (land registry deed/lease)
• details of the arrangements for refuse disposal and for sewage and waste water disposal
• a copy of your planning permission or certificate of lawfulness for the proposed activity
• a copy of electrical test certificates
• a copy of gas safety/LPG certificates (where applicable)
• a copy of fire safety certificates
• a fire safety risk assessment
• a copy of valid public liability insurance for the site
• a copy of the management structure and financial standing information are required for residential site applications

Duration of the site licence

There is no general expiry date for a site licence. However, if the relevant planning permission is for a limited period, the site licence must expire at the same time as the planning permission.

Transfer of a site licence

As the existing site licence holder, if you no longer occupy the land, you may, with the local authority’s consent, transfer the licence to the person who becomes the new land occupier. If you wish to sell or purchase a site, we strongly recommend that you notify us before ownership is transferred and any formal applications are made.

Please note, we will require both parties to complete and sign the application form for the transfer of a site licence, as information will be required from both the buyer and the seller.

What conditions will be attached to a site licence?

As the local authority, we can determine what conditions ought to be attached to the site licence. We base our conditions on national model standards, but we may impose specific local conditions that we feel are relevant for an area or site in particular. 

Appeal against conditions

We will provide you with a period of representation should you have any comments to make on any conditions attached to the licence.

Following this, if you wish to appeal against any conditions attached to a site licence or a decision made, an appeal must be made within 28 days of the licence being issued. Further details relating to the appeals process will be provided upon application.

Alteration of conditions

The local authority may, at any time, alter conditions by varying or cancelling them, as well as adding new conditions. Before doing so, the authority will give you, as the licence holder, an opportunity to make representations. 

Offences and penalties

It is also an offence to use land as a caravan site without a site licence, and if found guilty you would be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale.

It is also an offence if you fail to comply with any conditions attached to your licence. If a breach of a condition under a site licence has occurred, the local authority can instigate proceedings. 

Rights of entry

Any authorised officer of a local authority shall have a right at all reasonable hours to enter any land which is used as a caravan site, or in respect of which an application for a site licence has been made, provided that 24 hours notice has been given.

Public registers

North Devon Council holds a caravan site licence register. The register contains details of those sites licensed with the Council. The register can be found on our website.

Further Guidance

Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) publish guidance for holiday caravan park owners and operators.