I'm Puzzled

1. Use Google Earth before going to see how pitches are laid out. I think it is a bit naive to think that the owner will use the whole of the area to space out H/Ss as this will increase his costs. As long as there is sufficient space between outfits for some form of privacy I don't mind. 

2. Maybe the CL owner was giving members a choice of pitch and the cost of installing an extra pitch or two when making the pitches hardstanding was minimal.

My guess is that the only people to anwser this puzzle will be someone at HQ. We all know that CLs are for a maximum of five caravans / MHs but equally we all know that this number is sometimes, if not frequently, abused by some CL owners. Whilst there is always the excuse that there are 6, 7, 8 EHUs "because we need to rest the grass on some of the pitches" how does that excuse work when all the pitches are hard standings? That's the puzzle.

Some pretty broad assumptions in your first paragraph. Not been to a CL where the 5 unit has been abused as you know we all know??? 

Been on a CL where there are a mix of hardstanding and grass areas with 2 bollards, 1 with 4 sockets, 1 with 3 that match the size of the CL to give guests the choice of making full use of the space available, but not more than 5 units pitched. Have left our caravan on site unpitched with the full knowledge of the owner and other guests. That flexibility makes it a great CL. Conversely another CL owner allows early arrivals/late departures to use the adjacent farmyard to 'park' your caravan to enhance your time in the area.

Know of a CL that has 6 pitches all hardstanding with individual EHU. 3 per side in an old orchard to give guests the option of pitching.under tress or in the open. Only 5 units pitched at a time.

We are thankful CL owners provide their facilities for members. Doubtful they are going to make a profit for a long time on just CL pitches. Or perhaps they look at the bigger picture beyond a cost/benefit commercial sum and realise the societal benefits they provide. There is more to life than money 

It will take an act of parliament to increase the 5van excemption certificate that is issued to organisations ( cc ccc etc) 

I seem to recall an occasion when there were 6 vans on site, but only for a day or two (crossover). Personally, I have no issue with it. As long as there is space and the ambiance isn’t disturbed, I’m all for owners trying to make their CL viable. And yes, I know it’s against the rules.

Parliament is an ass 😀

I don’t see there is any puzzle, JM20. 7 pitches (say) on a 5 van site and the owner says 2 are to provide choice. Who's to say otherwise, unless more than 5 vans are on site? 

I can't see there’s anything for the club to answer but, as ever, if you think the law is being flouted, contact head office direct.

CLs vary hugely in all aspects John, and you either go with these variations or you don’t. A lot of CLs we use have more than five ehu hook ups, more than five pitches, either grass or hardstanding. Very rarely do we come across one with more than five units on, but what is nice is being able to have quite a large choice of pitches. 

Agree with WN, it’s good to have a bit of choice, and unless it’s being abused, it doesn’t bother us one bit. Heaven forbid that CLs should become Club Site clones.😱

Just to clarify, on the last two CLs we visited that were all hardstandings, one had 6 and was fully occupied for the week and the other had 7 and was fully occupied for 4 days. These weren't crossovers.

I think I'm right in saying that there are several if not many Acts of Parliament / laws that are still on the Statute Book but are no longer relevant in today's society, eg prams should be pushed on the roadway, not on the pavement. Any infringements are therefore ignored by the authorities. Is this a case with CLs as there are now far more caravans / MHs on the road than there were even 10 years ago? This was possibly the time when CLs, although many quite basic in nature, were at their highest number. If 'staycations' are becoming more popular, (which must be better for the UK coffers), anything to help with the accommodation requirements must be welcomed by those that govern us. Are they doing this by turning a blind eye to any small 'infringements', ie an extra outfit or two.

John, do you honestly think that anyone at HO are going to admit that any of their employees, or volunteers, are turning a blind eye to the sort of infringements of the law that you have highlighted in your post?

Whatever, John, but CL owners who breach the rules are putting the club’s ability to issue exemption certificates to CLs at risk.

It’s not a local authority issue, as the exemption arrangement is designed to bypass LAs, but Natural England empower the club to issue certificates and to ensure the sites comply with the law. Therefore, you need to report concerns to the club as we have previously been asked to do.

What tends to happen is that some successful CLs, those that offer a lot of facilities sometimes realise that they might be better going alone away from Club and apply for more pitches via the Planning route. Lots are successful, we use at least three on a regular basis. They get increased revenue, those Club members who used the CL in the past make a choice whether or not they like this arrangement, and no rules are broken. Some CLs store caravans, some let you stay later upon request. It might be all too easy to make assumptions and think in some instances there are more than five units on a five van site.

If you are worried you have a couple of choices, either report the CL to HQ, through the proper channels, or decide it’s not for you, and don’t use it again. You could of course have a chat with CL owner and find out if there are any mitigating circumstances of any kind. We have stayed on a CL in someone’s huge garden, and it will have looked like six vans on. The extra van was family visiting, ehu from garage and no money charged. It does happen, best not to jump to conclusions.