Opening season relaxed for caravan/holiday parks and campsites

On 14th July The Secretary of State, Robert Jenrick announced that extending caravan parks operation in England ‘beyond the usual summer season will be invaluable to parks as the sector begins to recover. We are aware that current planning conditions may limit their open season. The temporary relaxation of these planning restrictions can play a vital role in helping local businesses to get up and running again’.

He went on to say: ‘Given the current situation, while local planning authorities must have regard to their legal obligations, they should not seek to undertake planning enforcement action which would unnecessarily restrict the ability of caravan and holiday parks to extend their open season’.

Caravan/holiday parks with a planning condition that limits when they can be open: if park owners/operators wish to have the condition relating to the open season times in their site licence extended, they should first speak to their local planning authority about the condition in their planning permission. 

They should then contact the local planning licensing authority (which may not be the local planning authority) about the opening condition in their site licence, so this can be extended to reflect the planning condition. This will then be followed up with a formal application – the existing site licence and any other conditions attached to them will remain in force. 

The Secretary of State concluded: ‘Where local planning authorities consider it appropriate to require an application to vary relevant planning conditions (where for instance there is a risk of flooding or where parks are situated close to protected sites) they should prioritise the application and make an early decision to provide certainty to caravan and holiday park operators. In doing so, they should consider the benefits of longer opening season times to the local economy as it recovers from the impact of Covid-19’.

The Government statement follows amendments 74 and 75 proposed by the noble Baroness, Lady  Doocey in the debate on the Business and Planning Bill in the House of Lords, where the Minister for Home Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Lord Greenhalgh) said the Government would lay a Written Ministerial Statement that would “encourage local planning authorities to take a sympathetic approach to applications to change the opening times on a temporary basis, allowing campsites and caravan and other holiday parks to open beyond the summer season.”  

To read the full statement click here.

Government guidance is outlined here.