Exceeding 5 vans

I think whenever we discuss this subject it just shows that there is no one easy answer.

1) Many people prefer a CL because if only has 5 pitches.

2) Increased demand for hardstandings and electrics but many also demanding toilet/shower facilities.

3) Potential owners of CL's probably question the economics of starting a new CL with just five pitches because as a minimum seems to be hardstandings and electrics?

4) The Clubs are reluctant to push for a change in case that change leads to a major change in the Certificated system which might not be to its advantage? 

5) we have yet to see how the COVID situation impacts on the numbers of CL's. 

There are probably a few other things that can be added to the list?

David

Absolutely, this exemption scheme is a planning anomaly and IMO the most likely effect of any attempt to widen its scope would simply be to pull that anomaly and have camping dealt with exactly the same as everything else. How could "we" ever argue we are so uniquely special?

If a site has a good case for increasing the number of units, then they will assuredly win any application for LA planning. There is always a presumption in favour of development, it is only refused if there are grounds to object to it, it is not the other way round, any objection has to be a valid one in planning law, not because it is not "liked" by one or more individuals.

Therefore, there is no real argument a site that needs to expand and is suitable to expand can't actually get permission to expand. As it is, the minimum effort and challenges with potential objections to getting up and running, albeit limited to 5 units, is something of an incentive, whereas going through the full LA planning for many marginal sites is a hassle too far.

To get our exemption extended it would have to go to the very highest government level, IMO it is way too fragile to risk that. We are immensely fortunate it exists at all and has not yet been quashed, to a level playing field for all "developments."

There is of course a standard situation that any bit of land can say hold a meet of any number of units for up to a total of 28 days in a calender year.

So a route I see increasingly taken up is to do just that. Run a facility, cherry picking the highest potential yield three day weekend meets, or two fortnights in the popular months from mid May though till the kids go back to school. That can be a lucrative low hassle business, the more so if "advertised" via social media at a target audience, allowing the owner to run livestock for the rest of the year up till a month before.

You can't do this on the CL, but you can on the next meadow over, or wave goodbye to running a 5 van site at all, making way more in that period.

JVB Another barb. Know your planning law before commenting. As someone else here says "Not liking it" is not a planning objection Nimby  or otherwise. Do you make a suggestive/ helpful comment at any time?