RESIDENTIAL CARAVANS AND MOBILE HOMES
Planning permission may be granted
for a residential caravan or mobile home, for a temporary period
only, in exceptional circumstances.
Generally, the design and finishes of a
residential caravan or mobile home limits its potential for
integration into the rural landscape. For this reason, planning
permission will not be granted for a permanently sited residential
caravan or mobile home, in any part of the open countryside.
However, it is accepted that, in exceptional circumstances, a
caravan or mobile home can be a sensible temporary solution, to
meeting the need for accommodation in a Green Belt or Countryside Policy
Area.
These exceptional circumstances include where:
- a farmer, who is developing an
established farm business and meets the need criteria for a
permanent dwelling, cannot at present afford to build a house - see
policy
HOU9;
- a farmer is retiring - see policy
HOU10; and
- a person requires to live close to
a relative because of special personal circumstances - see policy
HOU12.
All permissions will be subject to a time limit. The limit may
initially be generous and can be extended, to allow the named
occupant to use the accommodation for as long as the particular
circumstances require.
A residential caravan or mobile home, in the garden of an abandoned
dwelling, will require planning permission as no permitted
development rights exist. In practice, if permission has already
been granted for development of the site for a permanent dwelling,
applications to locate a residential caravan or mobile home on a
site for this use will normally be approved for a limited period.
The siting of a residential caravan or mobile home will be subject
to the same planning and environmental considerations as a permanent
dwelling. Permission will depend on the ability to integrate the
unit within an existing building group and screen the unit from
public view. Residential caravans or mobile homes on farms must be
integrated with the main farm complex.
Planning permission will not be given for a residential caravan or
mobile home on an isolated site, cut out of an open field.
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