8 replies to this topic

[small holdings]

hi, i have had a touring caravan on my 9 acre land for  over four years, can i change it to a static without any trouble from the council. thanks

[surreydodger]

A mobile home/static and a caravan are the same thing in planning rules. If you have planning permission to site the caravan then you have permission to site a static

[small holdings]

i have not got planning permission, just never took it off, appealed to the courts and never heared any thing since, that was four years ago

[admin]

If you change the caravan to a static then people might notice. It would certainly arouse suspicion that you were living on the land, depending upon placement and vigilence of neighbours. Who knows.. you might get away with it.

Legally, you need to have been living in a caravan for 10 years continuously (without any kind of gap) in order to get permission for it to be there.

Just having the caravan on site for 4 years hasn't really gained you anything legally. They could enforce at any time and make you move it.

[Cornish Gems]

We cannot see whether the caravan is just sited there, which you are allowed for certain reasons, or whether you are actually using it for long-term habitation.   Please would you elucidate?

[sodbuster]

Hello forum.There has been some debate on the forum regarding registering for council tax once the caravan is on the land and PD has been granted. Problem is when you leave your previous address the council want to know WHERE you are moving to. Do you inform them? Where does the forum stand on registering given that they want to know where you are moving to?
Thanks

SB

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[shepie]

Hi Sodbuster
I think you would be fine to tell them where you have gone, as if they find out where you are and how long you have been there they would want the council tax back dated anyway , and the two departments don`t seem to talk to each other anyway( tax / planning ) and paying council tax would be in your farour with the surrounding neighbours or even look good when you apply for the 3 yrs temp or a permenant dwelling i should think .

Shepie

[sodbuster]

Thanks Shepie.Sorry about the delay.Sounds right
SB

[RichardD]

My oh my oh my! there are more questions than your initial question to extract sufficient detail to give you any meaningful advice. I note you earlier said you made some appeal to the courts? in relation to what? was that after being prosecuted for not complying with an enforcement notice?

If there was an enforcement notice did you appeal against it? what was the outcome of the appeal decision? - if this is the result of any formal action by the LPA then the enforcement notice lasts forever - you can't rely on any time limit. What's this 4 years nonsense about anyway!

A caravan is a chattel, the siting of a caravan on agricultural land for the purposes incidental to the agricultural use of the land does not require planning permission.

Living in a caravan on agricultural land WILL require planning permission although there are some circumstances where under Pt 5 of the General Permitted Development Order permitted development MAY apply for the duration of perhaps a seasonal agricultural use or some other operational development.

Council Tax is least of your problems - unless you already have a planning permission to reside on site (which you don't appear to have).