helpful advice on planning permission for static caravans and lodges

 As Caravans (tourers, statics, or lodges) are classed as movable structures built for human habitation, in many cases people find they do not need planning permission. 

 Using a static caravan as on-site accommodation during a self-build or home renovation project that renders your existing house uninhabitable is now a very popular option. In this case, you do not need planning consent to temporarily live in a caravan or mobile home on site. You will, of course, need planning permission for the new build or renovation itself. Please read the details in the point below ref using showering, cooking facilities in an outbuilding or the main house. 

It is highly likely that you would not need planning permission if your static caravan is parked in your residential drive or sited in your garden (but not a separated paddock) and it is used by occupants who continue to use the facilities of the main house provided they are:

• Members of your household
• Close family
• Other short term non-paying guests

In other words, as long as the static caravan remains moveable i.e., not plumbed-in for water and drainage, and not used as the primary/only place for your showering and cooking facilities, planning permission probably wouldn’t be required.  For example, if a static caravan was on your own land / on the drive / in the garden while house renovation was under way and living in the house wasn’t safe, or practically possible due to the building work, but the house’s showering and cooking facilities were still usable, or these facilities were housed in another outbuilding and were usable there, it is unlikely that planning permission would be required.

 Having a static caravan in the garden that is movable at any time (and with less substantial foundations) can mean that it complies with the Caravan Sites Act which can be much more straight forward than a full planning permission application. 

Static caravans are often purchased for use on agricultural land. Uses include:

– On-site (temporary) accommodation for agricultural workers e.g., fruit/vegetable pickers.

– On-site (temporary) accommodation for farm workers and forestry workers.

– On-site (temporary) accommodation for sheep shearers, who may need accommodation for temporary periods as they travel around.

Agricultural land in this case, means land from which you gain your main income from agriculture. If the land is at least 5 acres, it can be used as a place to site static caravans providing that, in the past 12 months, there has been no caravans on that land for more than 28 days, and there have been no more than 3 caravans at any one time.  For agricultural and forestry workers, for example, agricultural land can be used as a place to site caravans as accommodation for those employed in the farming work provided the work is seasonal and not an activity which occurs at regular intervals throughout the year.  Please note: the caravan(s) must be moved at the end of the season and, if the caravan is to be maintained on land permanently,  planning permission will then be required.

However, you will need planning permission for your static caravan if you:

• Want to use it as a primary residence
• Hire it out to others as paid-for accommodation (either long-term or as a holiday let)
• Or use it for other business uses.

It is always worth remembering should you need planning permission for these situations, it is entirely possible to obtain it, and in most cases, people get planning permission for this.

If you are still unsure you should always get advice as to your specific situation.