Caravan Parks
Holiday Caravan Sites and COVID19
As part of the response to National lock down (Stay at Home) from January 4, 2021, caravan parks are to close whilst a holiday caravan site is within its permitted open season.
If a site is in its closed season / due to close, it should close and remain closed until the next season starts.
Guidance on accommodation such as caravan parks can be found here
Any site operators wishing to remain open over the winter period are advised to email for further advice.
We are aware that upon closure of holiday caravan sites, some households may not have an alternative residence available to them, or may be affected by travel and other restrictions necessitated by the pandemic. If you are affected by this situation and do not have anywhere else to go, please contact our Housing Hub on 01507 601111 or email. We strongly advise that you check the details of your licence agreement and that you have this to hand when you call us. The team will discuss your individual circumstances with you and will advise and assist you to make alternative accommodation arrangements for your household. Depending on your circumstances this may include:
- Supporting you to identify alternative housing options in the local area
- Supporting you to identify interim accommodation arrangements with family or friends where appropriate, or in temporary accommodation
- Supporting you to make a homeless application to the local authority area in which you have a local connection
For more information click here and some frequently asked questions relating to holiday accommodation caravan sites,click here
Reopening Advice (when necessary)
You will find a range of information to support you with this on this web page and it is important that you continue to refer to the Government Guidance for the sector to guide your Covid secure risk assessments and re-opening plans.
We recognise that there are instances where there are localised outbreak management requirements in place in other areas which recommend that people stay at home as much as they can, and advise against all but essential travel to, from and within those areas; in those instances there may be an impact on your sector for people who were planning to travel to the area.
We advise that you:
Continue to refer to Government guidance
Regularly check on the .gov website for areas subject to localised lockdowns
Review your risk assessments accordingly
Consider the steps you could take to support customers affected by local lockdown restrictions to rebook alternative dates
Advice and Guidance for re-opening your caravan park:
Government advice on Working Safely during COVID-19,
Health and Safety Executive: advice on managing risks,
risk assessment template [645.52KB] and guidance on how to prepare a Health and Safety Policy.British Holiday & Homes Parks Associations: Covid-19 related health and safety advice and guidance from the BH&HPA.
Cleaning Schedule for Shared Facilities on Touring Caravan Parks/Campsites [118.09KB]Preventing the risk of Legionella during re-opening:
Safe Water Advice [1.24MB]
Legionella - advice on minimising the risk during COVID19 lockdown [111.03KB]-
Controlling the Risk of Infection in Spa Baths/ Hot Tubs [944.61KB]
In addition to this, the government strongly advises that shared sleeping spaces (i.e. dormitory rooms) should not open to any groups, except those travelling within the current government guidance on social mixing outside of household groups.
Other shared facilities (including shared showers and kitchens, but not toilets) should not open, except on campsites (and only in accordance with government guidelines for cleaning and usage).
Please be advised that if you are a small site (usually 5 vans or less) these sites are not licensed by ourselves. We do however regulate these sites for health and safety under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. These sites are largely self-regulated in terms of their standards and are usually affiliated to one of the following organisations: