Latest UK Motorhome Stopover News

For listings see our UK Stopovers page

See below for a resume of the legislation regarding Stopovers

New stopover for Lancashire

31/1/12
Press release from Fylde Borough Council:
Motorhome owners will be welcome in St Annes when Fylde Council opens one of its seafront car-parks to overnight visitors this spring.

The prosperous motorhomers will be able to stay for up to three nights in a pilot scheme that will last to the end of summer.

The car-park chosen is the one at the rear of St Annes swimming pool – selected as it offers good sea views while not being visible from the road.

Councillor Albert Pounder, Fylde Council cabinet member for Customer and Operational Services, said: “Motorhomers are good, responsible citizens and tend to be prosperous.

“Many come at the moment but they have to go home at the end of the day. From this spring they will be able to make a weekend of their visit and, we expect, they will spend money in shops, cafes and restaurants.

“They tend to be people who have good disposable incomes – exactly the sort of people we need for the tourism business in the area.

“In France, many towns have ‘aires’. They are places where motorhomers can stay overnight and they typically have electricity hook-ups and running water. You can drive from one end of France to the other by staying in aires.

“Fylde will be one of the first places in England to have one of these continental-style areas and we know there is already interest within the motorhoming community.”

The swimming pool car-park will not have electricity and water hook-ups. If this summer’s trial is a success, such facilities will be considered for future years – as will possible use of other car-parks. Caravans will continue to be banned.

Behaviour will be monitored while charges for overnight stays are yet to be decided. A three-night limit will be imposed to protect local hoteliers.

Councillor Pounder added: “There has been a problem in recent years with motorhomes parking on the roads which is suitable for neither residents nor motorhomers.

“We hope this trial period will make a positive out of a negative – we can get them off the road while using one of our existing assets at no cost to the Council Tax-payer.

“Motorhoming has grown very fast in recent years and we want Fylde to be at its forefront.”

Campervans to be welcome in Hawick
[26/1/2012]
Camper vans will be allowed to stay overnight in the Common Haugh, after local councillors gave their unanimous backing to the proposal.
A two-year trial of the idea mooted by Hawick Welcome Initiative – which runs the award-winning hosts scheme during the summer – was given the thumbs up at Tuesday night’s Teviot and Liddesale Area Committee.
And although the decision will need to be ratified at a meeting of the Hawick Common Good Working Party – which comprises the six councillors and owns the car park – a designated area is due to be marked out for use for camper vans from April.
We'll be adding this stopover to our listing as soon as we get final details.
Read the full report in the Hawick News

Malvern Hills Car Parks Consultation
[21/12/11]
Following our report earlier this year about the enforcement of the ban on overnight parking for motorhomes at Upton upon Severn, Malvern Hills held a consultation on parking provision in the district. The consultation results are now available here: Malvern Hills Car Parking Strategy

We are very pleased to see that possible actions to support the vitality of the towns and local businesses include: Introduce an overnight tariff (24 hour permitted parking period) on all car parks, and: Introduce a motor home tariff on selected long stay car parks.

We will be maintaining pressure on Malvern Hills District Council to try to ensure that these proposals are introduced.

New Nightstop location announced
[Nov 2011]
A Northumberland pub about 11 miles from Newcastle been added to Practical Motorhome magazine's Nightstop Scheme. See our motorhome stopover listings.

Stopovers in Essex
Thaxted Parish Council have told us that there are no restrictions on motorhomes stating overnight at two of their car parks. See our motorhome stopover listings.

New south coast stopover!
[July 2011]
Havant Borough Council have now confirmed permission for motorhomes to stay overnight at the West Beach Car Park on Hayling Island. Fresh water and a toilet emptying facility are available. See our listings for details.

Stopovers for eastern Essex?
[July 2011]
We hear that Tendring District Council are to consider allowing camper vans and motorhomes to stay overnight at some of their car parks. We have asked them for more details and will add more information when we have it.
Tendring extends from the River Stour in the north, to the coast and the River Colne in the south and is the most easterly part of the county.

Stopover proposal for Ilfracombe
[November 2011]
Latest news is that the project is moving forward slowly. A meeting with the site owner and architect was due on 3rd November to progress the design.

Report in the on-line edition of the North Devon Journal in March 2011:

A MOTORHOME park overlooking Ilfracombe harbour has been proposed to boost tourism in the town. Ilfracombe Town Council is in talks with the landowner of the former tennis courts at Larkstone Gardens, over the proposals which they hope will bring more visitors into the town and aid the tourist economy. Town councillor Rod Donovan said: "Through our town strategy deliberations, we realised that there has been a great expansion in the ownership of motorhomes. "But compared to towns in France, where they have parks to accommodate these vehicles close to the town centres, we have nothing to cater for them in Ilfracombe."
Read the full article here

Motorhome stopovers closures
[March 2011]
During our recent batch of enquiries to local authorities to ensure that our listing remains as up to date as possible we have been very concerned to find that at least 3 motorhome stopovers have closed.
Please see below for the details.

Swanage bans overnight stays
The inconsiderate action of a few motorhome users has resulted in Swanage Council banning all motorhomes from staying overnight. The following email from the council explains:

We did allow campervans in Main Beach car park for an overnight stay. This allowed people the option of staying an extra night, for example, on a Saturday night if they had to vacate the campsite on Saturday morning etc. Unfortunately as very often happens, a minority of people were abusing this facility and using the car park as a campsite. We received complaints that people were using the public conveniences to empty their chemical toilets. The toilets (which very often, had just been cleaned) had to be redone due to spillages. Complaints were also made that the stream had been used for the same purpose and very often trees etc were used to hang washing on! At the Transport Committee Meeting held on 30th November 2010 the following recommendation was taken: It was RECOMMENDED TO: Withdraw the opportunity for overnight parking of campervans in Main Beach and North Beach car parks as a result of mis-use of the Council's facilities. Therefore, there are no car parks available for this purpose. There are a couple of lay-by's in Swanage that motorhomes do use, very often for a night before they can get into a campsite. These are found at the north end of Swanage in the vicinity of Ulwell Cottage Caravan Park and Northbrook Road.

Guisborough stopover closed
One of the first councils to set up an official motorhome stopover was Redcar & Cleveland District Council, who designated spaces on the coach parking area of the car park in Guisborough. The 18 month experiment has come to an end and will not be continued. A council spokesman told us that, due to lack of use of the facility, the decision had been made to close it. According to ticket sales just 2 motorhomes had used the facility in the whole 18 months.

Teignbridge District Council suspend overnight parking for motorhomes at Dawlish Warren
Overnight parking for motorhomes has been suspended at the popular Dawlish Warren Car Park. The council say:

"The Council had recently agreed to further extend Dawlish Warren Landward car park as a location for overnight parking for motor homes. The use of this area for overnight stays for motor home users has proven to be particularly popular and the council has decided to apply for the necessary formal consent to move to a permanent arrangement. Regrettably, existing legal exemptions available to the council do not permit the continued use of this land for the overnight stays without the necessary consent and therefore there can be no further overnight stays until further notice. Should we be successful in obtaining consent, our website at www.teignbridge.gov.uk will be updated and use can recommence. If you have any enquiries, please contact Parking Services at: 01626 215859 or email parking.services@teignbridge.gov.uk"

The problem is that, although a 'site licence' is not required, by virtue of the exemption allowed because the land is in the control of the local authority, this particular exemption does not confer 'permitted development rights', so planning permission is required.

Nightstop Scheme from Practical Motorhome
Practical Motorhome magazine has joined forces with The Motor Caravanner's Club to launch Nightstop, a scheme to provide overnight stops for motorhomes.

The locations are inspected and approved by the Club and given Exemption Certificates, thus complying with current legislation. For more details contact nightstop@practicalmotorhome.com or call 020 8267 5629

We include all the sites in our listings.

Britstops
Britstops is a new scheme which was launched in April 2011. In return for a payment of £25 (currently discounted to £20) you get a printed guide to the stopovers and a windscreen sticker. Stopovers are for 1 night only and are free. The sites are mainly farm shops, vinyards and pubs, over 70 are listed in the 2011 guide. For details see the website: www.britstops.com

When asked how the scheme would meet the requirements of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act, they told us: "We are not going down the exempted sites route as we are basing Brit Stops on the “Formule Invitations” principle made popular by France Passion to promote local produce. [...] It basically all comes down to local councils taking a keen interest in whether a particular isolated, rural site has overnight parking for more than 28 days a year."

Motorhomestopover club
A Club with paid membership has negotiated permission for motorhomes to stay overnight at pubs. Members will be able to park up overnight at pubs which have joined the scheme and the first night will be free. There are over 500 sites, listings are available to members only. For full details see the scheme website: www.motorhomestopover.co.uk

When asked how the scheme would meet the requirements of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act, they told us: "With regards to the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act, we are not providing camping; we are providing parking with the consent of the owner."

First Irish Aire de Service (Feb 08)
The first motorhome Aire de Service has been set up in Askeaton. County Limerick. Although not a UK stopover we thought it was an important development, you can read more here.

For more about aires, and details on the setting up of one at Broughshane in Northern Ireland, see our article.

Here at UKMotorhomes.net we are right behind all campaigns to promote the introduction of motorhome stopovers in the UK and hope to be able to work with anyone to further the cause.

If you have any information about local initiatives to set up motorhome stopovers - let us know using our contact form

Legislation regarding Stopovers

In law, at least as regards the places where they may be stationed for the purposes of human habitation, motorhomes are included within the definition of a 'caravan' . The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act (1960), states that a caravan is defined as:

" ... any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another (whether by being towed, or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer) and any motor vehicle so designed or adapted ..."

The Act introduced the licencing of caravan sites, and defines a 'caravan site' as " ... land on which a caravan is stationed for the purposes of human habitation and land which is used in conjunction with land on which a caravan is so stationed." Certain exemptions are allowed from the licencing requirements of the Act, these include:

" ... the use of land as a caravan site if the use is incidental to the enjoyment as such of a dwellinghouse within the curtilage of which the land is situated."
Meaning that, for example, you may occupy a caravan situated in your garden.

" ... the use of land as a caravan site by a person travelling with a caravan who brings the caravan on to the land for a period which includes not more than two nights—
(a)
if during that period no other caravan is stationed for the purposes of human habitation on that land or any adjoining land in the same occupation, and
(b)
if, in the period of twelve months ending with the day on which the caravan is brought on to the land, the number of days on which a caravan was stationed anywhere on that land or the said adjoining land for the purposes of human habitation did not exceed twenty-eight. "
This is the exemption which permits pubs, for example, to allow a motorhome to stay overnight on their car park. However only one motorhome is permitted at any one time and the landowner can only permit his land to be used for a maximum of 28 days in any period of 12 months. It does not, of course, give a right to station a caravan on any land, it simply means that the landowner does not need a caravan site licence. There may also be other, local, restrictions in force which prevent landowners permitting the stationing of a caravan on their land.

" ... land as respects which there is in force a certificate issued under this paragraph by an exempted organisation if not more than five caravans are at the time stationed for the purposes of human habitation on the land to which the certificate relates.
(2) For the purposes of this paragraph an exempted organisation may issue as respects any land a certificate stating that the land has been approved by the exempted organisation for use by its members for the purposes of recreation."
This allows 'Exempted Organisations' such as The Caravan Club, The Camping and Caravanning Club, and the Motor Caravanner's Club, among others, to set up CL (Certificated Location) and CS (Certificated Site) sites for use by their members. Whether the use of the sites is restricted to members only is up to the individual clubs to decide. As far as we know only the Motor Caravanner's Club allows non-members to use its CS sites.

" ... land occupied by the local authority in whose area the land is situated."
This is the most interesting exemption as far as the setting up of Stopovers is concerned, it allows local authorities to permit motorhomes to stay overnight on, for example, car parks or other land in their control.