Increase size of CLs?

Great information Nellie. We have stayed on some quite recently set up sites these last couple of years, and some of the owners have made it plain they are looking to extend beyond CL. I think they are looking at the LA approach and the CL/CS approach and seeing what hurdles have to be gone through, get a taste for running a small site, and then looking to expand. Not every new CL, by any means of course, but quite a few I would guess. Touring industry is booming on this tiny island, and there are people hoping to make a go of a site, large or small. I know a lot of the established CLs, decades old are also investing in upgrades, particularly if a new CL opens in area, or younger family takes over business. I wish we could still see reasons for closures, always interesting.

CLs in fields were designed for caravan owners who wanted truly rural locations - they had cars and could drive out and about. Motor home owners tell me they  want hard standings and locations more immediately accessible to shopping facilities or to public transport.  And so the switch to motor homes is hitting rural CLs.  

It's even more acute in France where an amazing network of town centre and village centre Aires has grown up - providing exactly what motor home owners want - and so small rural campsites there too are struggling and closing.  It's the switch to motor home ownership which is the cause of the decline of simple rural CL sites here in UK as well as tradional small sites over there. 

I think you've made a valid point there ET.....

but my guess ( and it may be entirely wrong) is that it's the very basic "space in a field" type sites that are more likely to be closing. 

Have just checked through the current site directory, and as of the July edition of the club's magazine, the number of Cl with EHU that have closed since Jan 2015 is over double the number of ones without EHU....111 to 53. I would suspect many of them have gone on to be commercial sites. Perhaps being a CL for a while is an easy way in to getting a commercial licence. Wonder why HO no longer publish the reasons for closure!! Perhaps they are trying to protect other CL owners by not showing which sites, perhaps favourites for some people, have not gone commercial.

...Looks as if the figures may prove what is suspected is how things ,as some of us suspect,that a cl/cs is an easier way to getting planning permission to get a site up and running

Stuh, bit confused about your CL. It isn't showing EHU available on the CL search? Just thought I would mention, perhaps need to contact Club to amend your entry? If someone puts in EHU required, then it will not bring yours up and you will be losing potential customers and income, not good after spending on having EHU installed.

Seem you might have been looking at the wrong CL, tda. Both the SD & the CC web site show  Mount Pleasant Ecological Park CL, which I think is Stuh's site, as having EHU. Or perhaps I've got the wrong site?

I think you might have Nellie. It's Mount Pleasant Farm, Skinners Bottom, Redruth, I believe.

Sorry one and all. I certainly got the wrong site. Seems there are 2 sites with a very similar name - Mount Pleasant - at Redruth. Stuh's web site - http://www.caravan-club-cornwall.co.uk/ - does show the site as having EHU.

As for hoping that an amended bill would pass through Parliament to increase the number of vans to some figure over the present 5 on CL/CS type sites.

You may find it turns out, as would be written of uncharted waters on ancient maps ‘Here be Dragon’

It is just as likely that ‘all sites’ would be required to obtain a ‘Local Authority Licence’ even for just one van and that could include your van kept on your driveway. If I am not mistaken these were the original proposals in the bill that was amended, after a great deal of lobbing, to create the 5 van exemption status.

JVB66- It also encourages the Cl to exceed the vans and then they use the fact that it has already had 8/10 vans in their application to go commercial and more pitches. Its so low keyed that even in the Nat Park the application to increase does not even go before the committee but is delegated to the officers with an nodded through unless the site is very small or there are issues with highway access.

As Supertractorman made the statement and already has a successful CL, Stu, I guess he has a fair idea of what's involved.

I also have a succesful CL, I know whats involved and despite all the electrical work being done by a friend the materials costs alone (event at trade price) was significant given the return - I dont do it to make money but implying the CL owners are exadgerating the costs is quite frankly a bit offensive!

The cost of installing these facilities will vary hugely depending on how big the CL is, where the nearest services are located and if the connection is suitable under current regulations....  enough said about it now anyway. 

 

I don't see anything offensive, Stu. Most farmers have equipment, such as tractors and diggers, and materials, such as hard core, already to hand and may not have had to incur the expense that you have if you don't have these items. STM will have been speaking from his own experience as you spoke from yours.

Write your comments here...

Seems I opened a can of worms, but I was only trying to say if you want to be creative it need not cost too much. I have proper armoured cable, 2 Caravan approved mounting posts with all breakers and coupled to our house electrics to take benefit from my solar panels. My Hard standings use lumps of concrete from the runways of an old airfield covered with clean 20 ml stone. The digger I bought for £1800 was sold for £2000 !!. In making these statements I would like to encourage more folks to consider having their own CL to give me more to visit while numbers are getting less and it is not as hard or as expensive to do.

On a final point the main question I get on the phone is do you have Hard Standings, Electrics and do you take dogs. With 70% + repeat business I don't want more pitches, it is for us a retired persons hobby, but always wanting to increase business each year.

David   www.perthshirecl.co.uk

you only have to witness the success of the CCC THS program  (where you get a pitch, water and waste points, usuually in a field.....at around £8 a night..) to see that the demand is still there.....

BB do you know for a fact that these rally type of events are a success? There was a West Wales Rally on a CS field near us last weekend and there could not have been more than 6 vans on it. I certainly not call that a success!!

ive been on a dozen or so over the past three years and can only speak as i find.....

there are others on CT who use them, they might have a view..