static caravan...do I need permission?

[teenybash]

We are planning to get a static caravan to use while renovating and it would be sited on our own land [in the fiels to be exact]....do we need permission from the council or pay charges. We haven't a clue and can't seem to find anything on Council website. Does anyone know the ins and outs?

[Oddquine]

We are planning to get a static caravan to use while renovating and it would be sited on our own land [in the fiels to be exact]....do we need permission from the council or pay charges. We haven't a clue and can't seem to find anything on Council website. Does anyone know the ins and outs?

Is there anything in Caithness planning think you don't need permission for.........or alternatively have to pay to be told no prior notification is needed? :roll:

Your own land isn't your own land as far as planners are concerned!

You will need permission........and you'll have to renew it annually................how else are they going to make their money?

[Stefan]

Yes, you need planning permission.
Email the planning office or go round, they are usually really helpful.
They can even print off plans of your land for you, then you only have to add the caravan to the plans...
I've been a couple of times last year and they helped me a lot. Bring some time though, as you just have to wait if there is people in front of you... the longest I waited was probably 15 mins though.

[supernova]

You certainly do need PP, we acquired ours when we also got PP for our rennovation/extention to avoid extra cost, permission was granted for 1 year but it was actually 2 before we finished the work and no-one came to check. Good luck with your rennovation, hope it goes quicker than ours did!

[teenybash]

Thanks everybody.....will contact council and see about obtaining planning permission. Still have to find someone who can transport the static from where it is to hear....any ideas or info gratefully recieved.:)

[Kodiak]

I have listed 4 web sites where they say they do Static Caravan Haulage. Two are in Scotland and Two are in England. I did both as I did not know where the Caravan you bought resided. Hope this helps. The First one looks very good.

http://www.mccallumscaravans.co.uk/

http://www.macleodscaravans.co.uk/transport.html

http://www.southwoldcaravantransport.com/index2.html

http://www.nenetransportservices.com/

[porshiepoo]

Be prepared to be clobbered with Council Tax on it also.
We are self building and living in temporary on site accomodation too and we've been charged ruddy council tax. We suspect that not everyone is charged this though as we do know people who haven't even been approached for council tax even though planning is aware that they live on site in a mobile.
Good Luck though

[teenybash]

As far as I know you only pay council tax if you live in static for more than 10 months out of 12.
We already live in our cottage and have done for many years but, want somewhere sane while we do some renovations......floors, windows etc.

[cuddlepop]

Teeny the best of luck with your renovations and I'll be saying a wee "prayer" for you when you approach planning as they're a nightmare to deal with.:eek::D

[teenybash]

Teeny the best of luck with your renovations and I'll be saying a wee "prayer" for you when you approach planning as they're a nightmare to deal with.:eek::D

Thanks Cuddlepop but, I am one of those fortunates and sometimes unfortunates that is so laid back I could be horizontal..........Renovation work hopefully won't be very complicated and if it is I'll hide in the caravan and let whoever get on with it....;)

[roadbowler]

teeny... It makes all the difference if you are going to be siting it within the curtilage of your existing house. Is it your existing house you are renovating?? If so, then, in the law it says, " the use of any buildings or other land within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such does not involve development". Therefore, no, you probably don't need pp. I believe doing minor renovations to your current house are incidental to the enjoyment of your dwellinghouse. Provided that your use for the caravan is used for this purpose why would you need pp? Not saying the caithness planners won't try and tell you that you do though AND make you pay for the privilege?!!?

[teenybash]

teeny... It makes all the difference if you are going to be siting it within the curtilage of your existing house. Is it your existing house you are renovating?? If so, then, in the law it says, " the use of any buildings or other land within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse for any purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such does not involve development". Therefore, no, you probably don't need pp. I believe doing minor renovations to your current house are incidental to the enjoyment of your dwellinghouse. Provided that your use for the caravan is used for this purpose why would you need pp? Not saying the caithness planners won't try and tell you that you do though AND make you pay for the privilege?!!?

Thanks Roadbowler the van will be sited within the grounds surrounding the house although about 20ft away or there abouts while we do the renovations to our existing house....but like you say if the planners can get some money out of us they will. We will site the van and see if they say anything......Thanks for the info, much appreciated.:)

[Stefan]

As soon as you sleep in it you need planning permission. However, you can park it on your drive and have parties in it, but heaven forbid you fall asleep !

No seriously, I asked about a touring caravan for occasional visitors (once a year) and was told I needed planning permission for that, it would be granted for one year, then I had to reapply, but it would be unlikely to get it every year. However I would be allowed to park the touring caravan on my drive, but I would not be allowed to sleep in it....

Caithness planners don't like caravans. I even asked if I could site a static and clad it in timber, the same as the house. Nope. Not allowed.

And when I mentioned chicken housing and said I was going to convert an old caravan... OMG... should have never even so much as mentioned it.

But if you are out in the sticks I suppose nobody will notice or check where you sleep....

[roadbowler]

yep, stefan, i'm acutely aware of the caithness planners "policy" on caravans is. However, with over 10,000 families on the waiting list for council houses and much of the stock of council housing falling into quite a state and with highland council on the bbc a fortnite ago begging the scottish and uk government for help with their housing crisis AND alongside a rather damning housing report released a month ago by the scottish governments committe on rural and environmental affairs slamming the current culture of "planning conservatism" impeding rural development AND in the middle of a economic meltdown..... How do they have any room to be telling people where they can lie their heads at nignt?? People move into the area, take it into their own hands to house themselves in caravans either whilst they build or otherwise and the council moan and give people undue hassle... Even harassment when they should be encouraging people to take it in to their own hands to house themselves because it is rather apparent highland council are NOT up to the task themselves. By the size of their deficit and spiralling housing crisis... I don't think they'll be up to it for the foreseeable future either unless some sort of miracle happens. Teenybash is doing house improvements.. Which is incidental to the enjoyment of her dwellinghouse.. No one could expect teeny to be able to live in their house while doing floors. A caravan is fit for purpose and is temporary so why not ?

[Stefan]

I totally agree.

I find it rather appalling that the planers can tell me that I can't sleep on my own land. How am I supposed to make an honest living off the land if I have to travel 15 miles to get to it, whilst paying rent?
Not that I am actually in that situation, but I am sure other people find exactly that a problem.

I was told the planners are so strict because they fear that the countryside will be littered with disused caravans and also that we will spoil the land with rubbish and sewage.

I don't understand it, to be honest. Nobody buys land to then fill it with rubbish or pour bleach onto a field I am trying to grow food in.... surely, that would make no sense.

I can't live in a touring caravan or motor home, however I can park 20 of them on my land and leave them there to rot, as long as I don't sleep in them.

I am sure somebody will tell me in a minute that the amount of parked vehicles on any land is restricted to 4 and a half or something silly...

It all makes no sense to me.

[catran]

It would appear the planning people have not got a grip on it at all regardless of their effort in trying to keep on top. Have a look around the Caithness countryside at all the caravans, strange looking sheds, picnic tables, pollytunnels, diggers, tents, vehicles, lying all over the place. Surely they should be trying to clean up the countryside. I know one has to live somewhere whilst building and doing renovation but some parts of the county has been like this for years and years and nought is being done about it. I found the Planning dept in Wick to be really helpful when I needed their advice.

[Oddquine]

It would appear the planning people have not got a grip on it at all regardless of their effort in trying to keep on top. Have a look around the Caithness countryside at all the caravans, strange looking sheds, picnic tables, pollytunnels, diggers, tents, vehicles, lying all over the place. Surely they should be trying to clean up the countryside. I know one has to live somewhere whilst building and doing renovation but some parts of the county has been like this for years and years and nought is being done about it.

You are joking, aren't you?

If the planning people haven't managed to remove the aforementioned, I'd be very surprised if it was for lack of trying..............after all there are bound to be some things allowed, though they are getting harder to find if you haven't got the time to read Scottish Office Planning Guidance.

[roadbowler]

catran... Are you opposed to civilisation in caithness or the fact that caithness is an agricultural area? Picnic tables and polytunnels? Eh? Maybe i misunderstand your post. Stefan, yes, it appears to be "fear" at some level. I can understand the need for the planning system. If we did not have it caithness would be bought up by big time developers and built up with high impact developments up and down the coastline. However, my point is the level of undue hassle the planning system creates for people just trying to get on with everyday things. It is ultra conservatism.. And it is not helping anyones cause by way of impeding peoples attainment of housing of any form. This isn't even only my opinion... This is the scottish government saying it... Rob gibson mp saying it too. If they are so worried about sewage, why do they keep requiring people to put in septic tanks or the mound soakaway systems that pollute and have a leachfield of 50+ meters that cost thousands of pounds to install? It is well known by the likes of sepa and the building regs crowd that compost/waterless closets can cost as little as a few hundred pounds that have no leaching and no pollution.... Makes no sense to me either.