Considering re-opening a old CL

You'd just need to provide a chemical disposal point. I've seen various on different CLs from a lift up drain cover to an old toilet & cistern set into the ground.

The fact that you had kids wouldn't put me off from your site, but you can't please all the people all the time ... 😉

A toilet is not a requirement but access to the toilet at the back of your yard would be a plus point and not a deal breaker for me if it wasn't there. 

CLs generally ask for waste water to be disposed of into the hedge rows ... no point in paying to empty a septic tank of a bit of soapy water,

A hands off approach is what you'd normally expect of a CL .. most are like you in that they work too. Some sites I've only seen the owners occasionally if at all.

The caravans in the corner might be off putting .... depends on how bad they looked! 

I don't know what the Caravan Club have as minimum requirements, but I would guess that drinking water supply and toilet & waste water disposal would be sufficient.

Some CL's don't even have electricity or toilets, just a partly mowed field and not much else. The more you have the more you can probably charge, such as electricity, toilets, hardstanding pitches etc. But some caravaners just like it quiet and simple. I'm not sure if any electric supply has to be checked annually and certified safe?

I guess it depends on how much work you want to put into it, what kind of site you want, what type of caravaners you want to attract and what income you want.

Hello😁 We used The Willows as it was then known some years ago, and recall it was a very nice place, in a good location, with nice friendly owners. I have had a look back, and can see why at the time of taking the property over, that you had to close it. But how good that you are thinking of doing it for yourselves now.

To go through your list of questions, answering from our point of view....

1. It’s not a condition of opening a CL, but as the infrastructure is there, and I recall at the time of our visit it was a decent, clean installation, It will be of benefit to get it up up and functioning again, as some folks do prefer not to use their onboard loos. (We are fine with it, but others aren’t).

2. You need at the very least Grey water (sink and shower) waste disposal point, and then a well designed toilet waste emptying point. Both were there when we visited?

3.Visitors like things to look tidy and safe. Personally, an untrimmed hedge wouldn’t be a deal breaker for us (it’s best not to clip hedges between March and September for birds) However, well mown and most importantly, collected grass is important. If it’s a big area, you could look at keeping some areas as wildflower, mowing pitches and pathways. But visitors will not want to wade through shin deep wet grass😱

4. Some presence is good. Makes visitors feel more secure. At the very least an emergency contact number available 24 hours per day. A good information point (hut, notice board ??) would be helpful, especially for things like doctors, Hospitals, vets, local garage, local pubs, maps etc...

5. Yes, off putting. Put some screening round, hide them. Folks don’t want ramshackle and untidy around them.

6.a/b Tricky one. We would have no objection to it being A/O and your own children around, but on the understanding that they don’t play round the vans. If there’s little onsite and around for children to do, then you will need to be careful. We have been on one or two sites that have taken children, who have got bored, been poorly parented and it’s all kicked off from there😱 

Similar with dogs. I seem to recall we had to use a footpath off site that was very overgrown and wet. If you do welcome dogs (and a lot of folks do travel with dogs) you need to consider where they could be walked, and either provide a walk area, or give details of where to walk them. A strict no fouling rule onsite and around your property needs to be enforced as well.

It’s a great location just off M5, and could be a nice little source of extra income, but not going to be something to earn a wage from with 5 pitches. It’s all about balancing expenditure and pricing. You are lucky in that most of the infrastructure required is in place. The Club, and the CL owners group are probably the best source of information for you at this point in time. Consult the Owners group first would be my advice😁

And this link from the foot of the page -

https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/setting-up-a-certificated-location/

I couldn’t think where it was👍😁

Ha, ha! Down in the green bit 😀

If it's the one I'm thinking of then the attached photos were taken of some features on site. Can't for the life of me remember what the CL was called but was run by a really nice couple.

We stayed en route back from Wiltshire to North Wales one February 2 years ago just before it was sold. Plenty of space and we were able to stay on the gravel pathway due to the weather and we were the only ones on site.

Regarding your question then they have been answered above by EM and Ttda. We have just this year stayed on an Independent site close to us that is Adult only and they have 2 children themselves . They merely keep the children away from the site. It is an attraction for some folk like ourselves, particularly at this moment in time and we shall be going to one such AO in a week or so.

Regarding being available. Don't worry as long as people can contact you and presumably you'll be living in the house on site so will be around some time during a day.

It would nice to see it open again, always assuming I'm talking about the same CL.

It was called The Willows WN.......a Nellie recommend for us!

Is it the same one then? Nice big spacious CL.

It was that cold I didn't fancy using the toilet as I envisaged icicles where they shouldn't be.😱

Is it not possible for you to visit a few CLs (having contacted the owners, obviously)

As others have said there is a huge variety of CLs out there.  Seems to be a greater wish for no elec sites again - but as you have got EHUs that will probably be more attractive to more.

As it was a CL before, presumably access is OK for long outfits.

As a motorhomer now I am more circumspect about grass only sites - would want to know that ground was firm.

If you were looking to develop further, enhanced grass where some sort of hard standing (not necessarily gravel areas) was available would be useful.

If site is suitable for motorhomes then most will want to be able to get close enough to tap to fill up their water tank with their own hose.

The more Cls in the network, the better.