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Caravan and camping licences

In this section

  1. Caravan site licences
  2. Campsite licences
  3. Registered caravan sites and existing site rules

Caravan site licences

There are three main types of caravan site licence: permanent residential, holiday static and holiday touring.

Permanent residential site

  • The licence holder owns the site and mobile home owners lease a pitch. Some sites have mobile homes to rent as well.
  • There is a fee for permanent residential caravan sites. The fee depends on the number of units on the site.
  • A £73 Park Rules deposit must be paid to the local authority
  • Read the current permanent residential site terms and conditions

Permanent residential licence fees

The permanent residential licence fees are set out in the table below. There are four price bands, named Band A-D. The band your application is in is decided by how many units you have on site.

Number of units 1-5 (Band A) 6-24 (Band B) 25-99 (Band C) 100+ (Band D)
New application £288 (single sites exempt) £422 £475 £540
Transfer of site licence £64 £150 £150 £150
Variation of site licence £64 £150 £150 £150
Annual Fee £125 £158 £180 £277

Within permanent residential sites, there are separate terms and conditions for pre-2008 permanent sites and single-use permanent residential sites.

Holiday static caravan site

Holiday touring site

Apply for a caravan site licence

To apply for a caravan site licence, you need to complete the following steps:

  • Contact the planning department to confirm if you need planning permission
  • If you are applying for a permanent residential caravan site licence, there will be a fee. Calculate your fee using our Fees table
  • Fill out our online form. You will need to include details of waste disposal and tell us the number of caravans proposed to be on the site at any one time.
  • Attach a layout plan at a scale of 1:500 of the proposed site. This can be a photograph or a scan, and must show all of the features required by the licence conditions. Please call us on 01403 215405 or email publichealth.licensing@horsham.gov.uk if you require more details.

Apply for a caravan site licence

Once you have applied, we will usually issue the licence automatically along with any conditions you will need to meet. If you have not heard from us within two months of applying, please contact us and do not assume your application has been granted.

Transfer a licence

If a site licence holder ceases to be the occupier of the land, they may, with the local authority's consent, transfer the licence to the person who becomes the occupier of the land. The new owner needs to apply for the transfer.

In the case of permanent residential sites, there is a charge and we carry out checks before granting the transfer.

To apply for a site transfer, please call us on 01403 215405 or email publichealth.licensing@horsham.gov.uk

We may attach to a licence such conditions as we feel fit with respect to the use of the site. We issue different conditions for different sites. Please check the government's Model Standards document for guidance.

An applicant has the right to appeal against conditions attached to a site licence. An appeal must be made to the magistrates' court within 28 days of the licence being issued.

We may, at any time, change, cancel or vary the licence conditions. Before doing so, the licence holder will be given an opportunity to make representations. No alteration becomes effective until written notification has been received by the licence holder.

Offences and penalties

Our officers have the right to enter, at all reasonable hours, land which is used as a caravan site or in respect of an application for a site licence has been made.

It is an offence for a site licence holder to fail to comply with any conditions attached to the licence. If we are satisfied that a breach of a condition under a site licence has occurred, in the first instance we would serve a compliance notice. If the notice is not complied with we can instigate proceedings in the Magistrates' Court.

If, after having been convicted of breaching site licence condition(s) on three or more occasions, a site licence holder continues to break conditions of the licence, the local authority may, instead of instigating further proceedings, apply to the Magistrates' Court to have their licence revoked.

Where revocation is ordered, another licence may not be issued in respect of land to the same holder for at least three years.

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