It could cost less than £100 to turn an unused plot of land into a caravan site - so what are you waiting for?
They are a strange breed, caravanning folk, but there are lots of them. The UK's two main caravan clubs boast 500,000 members between them and an estimated two million people spend their weekends and holidays in their chalets on wheels.
You can take this in different ways. You might simply see caravanners as an unnecessary obstruction of the A30. To those of a more febrile imagination it may inspire the plot of a horror movie - along the lines of Night of the Living Dead. Or you could see them as an untapped marketplace.
Many rural pubs find themselves with an unused plot of land at the back, even accounting for the beer garden and the car park. And what you may not realise is that turning that land into a caravan site is amazingly cheap and simple.
Since 1977 the law has provided for what are known as certified touring caravan sites. This means you can have pitches for up to five caravans - plus as many tents as you like - without having to apply for planning permission, without having to conform to rigorous health and safety regulations and without having to build toilet and shower blocks.
It will probably cost you little or nothing to get your plot into a fit state, hardly any maintenance is required and the site is advertised free to hundreds of thousands of caravanners.
You're not going to make a fortune out of it but what you do make is pretty well free money, so why not?
Mark Barlow is one person who is actively promoting the caravan opportunity. He is a director of J E Estates, a Manchester firm set up to help property owners maximise their income through non-core profit streams. These include cash machines, advertising hoardings, telephone masts - and caravan sites.
"There are about 2,000 licensed sites, mostly on farms, and only about a dozen are at pubs," he said. "Caravanners are tidy, they tend to be good customers and the licence itself is free. Assuming you don't have to do any extra plumbing, providing a site for them will cost less than £100."
In return, he advises, you can charge them anything between £5 and £15 per night, depending on the quality of the site and any additional facilities you offer.
"If there is a special event locally, with a high demand for accommodation, you could charge more," he added. "People will pay a premium - even £100 a night."
There is no restriction on the number of tents you can have, so you can add another few quid for each of those and maximise the impact of the free advertising you get from the licensing authorities, either the Caravan Club or the Camping & Caravanning Club.
"You can work together with a neighbouring farm and be the catalyst for other sites which bring people into the area and make a contribution to the community and the local economy," said Mark.
The caravanning clubs organise weekend rallies which you can cash in on, and, once you have a licence, you are free to open the site when you like, and attract visitors to special events in the area.
Like any accommodation you offer, caravans on site can also create a captive audience who may use your pub and spend money over the bar on food and drink.
According to pubs which already operate licensed caravan sites, however, you shouldn't bank on making too much.
Although they are, technically, on holiday, caravanners can be a parsimonious crowd, dedicated to the delights of self-catering.
"I would say it's split about 50-50 between those who use the pub and those who don't," said freetrader John Groutage, who operates a site at the Hopton Arms at Ashperton, Herefordshire. "Some of them you never see until they come and pay the bill.
"I wouldn't say it was very profitable but it's another service we offer and it doesn't take much effort."
The Hopton Arms hosts three rallies a year for the Camping & Caravanning Club, attracting up to 20 caravans and tents to the two-acre grounds. It charges £5 a night, or £6.50 with electricity.
The Square & Compass, a Robinsons Brewery house in Darley Bridge, Derbyshire, has managed to bump up the price to £8 a night by making "a few improvements", according to licensee Mike Page. "We have two shower rooms and toilets and keep the site tidy and mowed," he said. "It's used a lot during the summer."
The Volunteer at Marden in Herefordshire has a site in the pub's own orchard. It's less than busy, but Punch lessee Pat Vereker keeps it going.
"We certainly don't depend on the money it brings in but we have our regulars," she said. "It's a part of the pub."
Types of site
- Year-round sites: Any tourist area is suitable. You may be close to an historic town or other attraction, or the area may be suitable for walking, rambling, climbing, fishing or water sports. You can expect caravanners on a year-round basis.
Seasonal/limited event sites: These may be near motor racing circuits, concert venues etc where you might expect large numbers of people on certain dates.
One-off sites: These are sites situated close to a one-off festival, such as Glastonbury, and will only be used when the festival is taking place.
How to certify a touring caravan site
To certify a touring caravan site, first make sure your site satisfies some simple rules. To acquire a certificate it must:
- be relatively level
- not be water-logged
- have access from the road suitable for towing a caravan along
- provide drinking water not more than 100 metres from
- any pitch
- have suitable means of disposing of waste (including chemical toilet disposal and general rubbish) not more than
- 50 metres from any pitch
- have, or be able to get, public liability insurance.
In addition, there must be a gap of at least six metres between each caravan and if a car is parked in-between there must be at least a three metre space to prevent the spread of fire.
- Once you are confident the site meets these requirements you can apply to a certifying club. A club inspector will visit the site for final verification and grant your certificate.
- Certification is free of charge and the clubs will provide you with signage and include the pub in the list of sites it sends to its members annually. The entry includes facilities, contact details and places of interest near by.
Certification - the law
Under the Town & Country Planning General Development Order 1977 sites of no more than five caravans can be granted a certificate of exemption which exempts them from the provisions of the Public Health Act 1936 and the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960.
The Caravan Club and the Camping & Caravanning Club have been granted the power to license small touring caravan sites of no more than five pitches.
The site can only be used by members of the certifying club and caravans are not allowed to occupy the site for longer than 28 days. Tents have no restrictions - any land can be used for camping without certification.
Contacts
- Caravan Club - 01342 326944
- Camping & Caravanning Club - 024 7669 4995