Aires for the UK

[sambukashot]

Completely accept that for anyone looking to set up a 'site' then sambukashot's website will really need to be able to point them in the direction you outline

Would someone please help me out writing this document? i only need it as a word/text/email and i can convert it to PDF and put it in the downloads section

Thanks in advance

Keith

[sambukashot]

Does anyone have any photos i can use for the "Success Stories" section on the new website?

At the moment i only have the one story on Northen Ireland: http://www.camperstops.org/index.php/success-stories

Thanks in advance

Keith

[crinklystarfish]

sambukashot - 2013-05-28 7:51 PM

Completely accept that for anyone looking to set up a 'site' then sambukashot's website will really need to be able to point them in the direction you outline

Would someone please help me out writing this document? i only need it as a word/text/email and i can convert it to PDF and put it in the downloads section

Thanks in advance

Keith

On page 1 I posted a link to Graham Hadfield's site. It's a good resource for what you aim to achieve. Check out his various links then (leaving the ethics of intellectual property rights as a separate issue) [CTRL + C] > [CTRL + V] as applicable.

[sambukashot]

I have had a good look at Graham Hadfield's site and cannot find any type of a legal guidlines document, if i can find his email address i could contact him!

Keith

[crinklystarfish]

http://www.motorhomeparking.co.uk/act1960.htm

[sambukashot]

So by skipping through that we need a new law passed or an amendment to the currect one -:)

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

I think there may be a loophole, up and down the country people are using sheds and turning them into accommodation, apparently with local authorities for the most part turning a blind eye, so in future I'll describe my van as a shed. ;-)

 

Just in Slough alone the Borough Council believes that up to 3,000 people are being housed in the unsafe and primitive ‘sheds with beds’, which often lack heating or running water. Go figure.....................

 

[sambukashot]

Found this article very interesting, especially this bit:

Sites occupied by licensing authority

Section 11.

A site licence shall not be required for the use as a caravan site of land occupied by the local authority in whose area the land is situated.

Read the full details here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/8-9/62/schedule/FIRST

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

I'm not sure if or when you've had experience dealing with council officials, but I have on numerous occasions, and for the most part find it's like trying to walk through treacle, good luck anyway. ;-)

[sambukashot]

Have a fresh look at the home page on the website, it does not just direct itself just to councils as was suggested: http://www.camperstops.org/

[Andy_C]

sambukashot - 2013-05-29 10:53 AM

Found this article very interesting, especially this bit:

Sites occupied by licensing authority

Section 11.

A site licence shall not be required for the use as a caravan site of land occupied by the local authority in whose area the land is situated.

Read the full details here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/8-9/62/schedule/FIRST

Yes, that's the exemption that will be most useful in the task of getting motorhome stopovers set up, there is a big 'however' though, this particular exemption to the 1960 Act does not give permitted development rights, unlike the exemption which allows for the setting up of CS and CL sites.As I said up thread, whilst a council may be willing to consider allowing motorhomes to stay overnight in a designated area, the local panning department may consider that this constitutes a material change of use, thus requiring planning permission. That's not to say that planning permission would not be granted, but it is extra expense on top of that required for amending TROs and erecting signage etc.The view of Fylde Council, who have set up the stopover at St Annes, is that because the parking area is not exclusively dedicated to motorhomes staying overnight there is not a material change of use. They are concerned that installing dedicated facilities, such as a toilet/waste water disposal point, might not be acceptable to the planners.Andy

[sambukashot]

Ooh those planners....

Thats another can of worms and tails to tell! 

[Andy_C]

sambukashot - 2013-05-29 11:24 AM

 

Have a fresh look at the home page on the website, it does not just direct itself just to councils as was suggested: http://www.camperstops.org/

The requirements of the 1960 Act have to be borne in mind when suggesting that Tourist Boards, Motorway Service Stations, Trusts, Theme Parks and Attractions and Supermarkets, could consider setting up stopovers. The only way that non-local authority controlled land can be used is either via the current Exemption system where the site would have to be approved by an Exempted Organisation and only allow up to 5 motorhomes, or by applying for a site licence and planning permission.

 

What's needed is a revision of the 1960 Act of course...

 

Andy

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

Sorry guys I think a serious reality check is in order here, we have zero clout as there are so few of us, and given the raft of petty rules and regulations in the UK does anyone seriously think that is likely to change any time soon, whilst I applaud your efforts, if you were a friend of mine I'd be saying find something more rewarding to do with your time. ;-)

 

Still I could end up eating humble pie, if I live to be 100 that is :'(

[sambukashot]

Well from the first idea of the website to completion it only took me 4 days so my time was well spent! nothing wasted at all...

Things do change, granted not as fast as we like but they do change remember it was not that long ago that dogs had to be kept in quarantine to cross over the channel!

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

sambukashot - 2013-05-29 12:51 PM

Well from the first idea of the website to completion it only took me 4 days so my time was well spent! nothing wasted at all...

Things do change, granted not as fast as we like but they do change remember it was not that long ago that dogs had to be kept in quarantine to cross over the channel!

Here in our village a car park was used unofficially as a stopover, this infuriated the local community council, so much so they have now taken over the car park from control of the local council who were not "policing" it as they would have liked, the result is a previously free car park is now being turned into a pay and display, with a prohibition notice for the use of motorhomes staying overnight, and this is what you are up against, petty minded views of local councillors, but backed up by residents complaints against as they see it big white boxes spoiling the view. Anyway good luck, I used to bang my head against brick walls, until I realised it was bloody painful.

[Andy_C]

1footinthegrave - 2013-05-29 12:38 PM

 

Sorry guys I think a serious reality check is in order here, we have zero clout as there are so few of us, and given the raft of petty rules and regulations in the UK does anyone seriously think that is likely to change any time soon, whilst I applaud your efforts, if you were a friend of mine I'd be saying find something more rewarding to do with your time. ;-)

 

Still I could end up eating humble pie, if I live to be 100 that is :'(

It's not true to say that we have zero clout, some of the councils that have provided overnight parking for motorhomes have done so because the demand has been brought to their attention.

 

Sometimes this has been due to motorhomes already staying overnight in places where 'officially' this is not allowed, as I believe was the case at St Annes. It was certainly the situation at Upton upon Severn, now overnight stays are there are likely to be allowed some time later this year - however this has taken getting on for two years of correspondence and discussion.

 

It does no harm to email a local council to ask about overnight facilities, the more people that do so the better...

 

Of course, nothing is going to happen overnight, but when you do get a sympathetic response it will be very useful to have a web resource that can be referred to for examples of where motorhome stopovers have been set up and are working, also to answer the usual concerns and questions.

 

Andy

[Andy_C]

1footinthegrave - 2013-05-29 1:15 PM

sambukashot - 2013-05-29 12:51 PM

Well from the first idea of the website to completion it only took me 4 days so my time was well spent! nothing wasted at all...

Things do change, granted not as fast as we like but they do change remember it was not that long ago that dogs had to be kept in quarantine to cross over the channel!

Here in our village a car park was used unofficially as a stopover, this infuriated the local community council, so much so they have now taken over the car park from control of the local council who were not "policing" it as they would have liked, the result is a previously free car park is now being turned into a pay and display, with a prohibition notice for the use of motorhomes staying overnight, and this is what you are up against, petty minded views of local councillors, but backed up by residents complaints against as they see it big white boxes spoiling the view. Anyway good luck, I used to bang my head against brick walls, until I realised it was bloody painful.

The opposite can also happen, Thaxted PC have this year taken over control of the main village car park from the District Council, which did not allow overnight stays. The PC has now put up a sign welcoming motorhomes to stay overnight.

[sambukashot]

Well done to Thaxted!

From acorns large tree's grow :)

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

It looks a great spot, tucked behind the council houses, next to some skips. ;-) and bugger all to see there apart from a church. ;-)

[sambukashot]

1footinthegrave,

You keep wishing me success but you have not signed the petition yet?

[Guest 1footinthegrave]

sambukashot - 2013-05-29 2:39 PM

1footinthegrave,

You keep wishing me success but you have not signed the petition yet?

I've signed loads of petitions in my time, the last one being the "Justice for Jade" the young lady that was savaged to death by dogs, guess what, it got just 11,000 signatures, do you think that will change anything, of course not, call me a defeatist if you like, but I think any petition for such a trivial matter as Aires for the UK has about as much use of achieving anything as hers will have done very sadly, still I think you've got around 35 now.

[Andy_C]

1footinthegrave - 2013-05-29 2:26 PM

 

It looks a great spot, tucked behind the council houses, next to some skips. ;-) and bugger all to see there apart from a church. ;-)

Only about 150 yards to the pub though :-D

 

Andy

[sambukashot]

1footinthegrave: I've signed loads of petitions in my time, the last one being the "Justice for Jade" the young lady that was savaged to death by dogs, guess what, it got just 11,000 signatures, do you think that will change anything, of course not, call me a defeatist if you like, but I think any petition for such a trivial matter as Aires for the UK has about as much use of achieving anything as hers will have done very sadly, still I think you've got around 35 now

I have changed the wording from "Petition" to "Appeal" would you sign it now?

[Petra]

We wrote to the council in our area Lincolnshire as they are trying to ban motorhomes from many of the East coast car parks. I sent them full details of the aires scheme in France and offered to take our motorhome along for councillors to see and understand the difference between motorhomes and caravans and as yet they have not even had the decency to reply.

 

What would be worthwhile is contacting LIdl, Tesco, or any of the other supermarkets and see if we could get them interested in hosting UK aires and providing overnight parking for motorhomes as many Super U supermarkets do in France. I think that private landowners would be a better bet to contact than councils as they tend to be too set in their ways and lets face it we all use supermarkets to shop and to fill up with diesel never mind parking when we cant find anywhere else.