To be a bit shocked to come home to a campsite on our road?

[rosesinmygarden]

It seems our local farmer runs a camping business.
We only know because we came home from holiday today to find the field right by our house occupied by various camper vans and tents.

Lots of shouting and drinking going on and porta loos in the corner of the field so it's obviously been planned.

I think he normally uses other fields which are off the road away from houses so It was a bit of a shock. AIBU to think a polite note through local residents doors might have been a nice touch?

The field they are camping on was advertised for sale recently as grazing land. Does this also mean they are allowed to run a campsite?

That is just common courtesy to notify neighbours of this.

that is so presumptive ! i'd be contacting the coucil tbh and police if it goes toes up with the booze.

There are literally 6 or 7 houses opposite this field. It would have been very quick and easy for them to drop us a quick note with a phone number to call with any problems imo.

I'm interested if I'm being unreasonable then why?

Take a look here - if you're in England or Wales, he probably needs a licence to do this.

www.gov.uk/camping-licence-wales#:~:text=You%20must%20have%20planning%20permission,in%20tents%20on%20the%20site&text=members%20of%20an%20exempted%20organisation%20stay%20in%20their%20tents%20on%20the%20site

Not to mention he probably needs planning permission too.

Hmmm. We've found it on a campsite listing site and there are reviews going back a couple of years so I suspect there is a licence. But would this automatically cover all their land? We've lived there for 11 years and there have never been campers in this field. The farm owns other fields which are not visible from our property.

The field at the back of our house was traditionally used as camping on the Aug Bank Holiday weekend for a local festival. I'm not sure who got the biggest surprise - our collie when she jumped the wall for a run round or the campers, who fed her titbits. Holiday caravans and tents were normally on a different site. It wasn't a problem for us as it was lovely on a summer's eve hearing a bit of singing and chat, which we could hop over and join in.

You aren't going to know unless you ring the council and ask. Unfortunately Tuesday is probably the earliest day you'll get hold of anyone. Unless you want to contact the police.

Intriguing. I went for a walk last week and fields (through which there is right of way) that have for years been arable were crammed with tents and portaloos. Maybe it's a way of keeping afloat. The early massive heat wave might have wrecked a lot of crops.

It’s freezing here. Take across hot chocolate and hot water bottles and you’ll make a fortune

Our council aren't taking non emergency calls.

I feel calling the police would be really quite unneighbourly but apparently it's open from this weekend until end of November.

I am chuckling a little bit at the teenage boys camped in the past of the field which floods every time it rains heavily though.... they are the ones being loud, drinking and shouting about putting things in bongs. Everyone else seems to be nice family groups and couples with camper vans - not causing a huge problem.

I don’t think the licence will cover all the land.

There is something though that land can be used for a campsite without a licence for something like 4 or 5 weeks a year. Iirc that’s why Eweleaze farm only opens in July/August, they can’t get a proper licence.

Could it be that he has a licence but normally doesn't use to due to the houses nearby, but with Covid he is trying to space out bank holiday trippers more? I am probably grasping at straws here. I don't think you are unreasonable to have hoped for a warning, or to look into it and see if this actually is permitted. More in terms of preventing it becoming a regular thing.

Theoretically there are all sorts of ways of getting round regulations and PP requirements regarding camp sites and an awful lot of people are trying to cash in on the staycation boom by turning a pony paddock or a bit of spare land into a campsite.

We have farming friends in the SW who have run a properly licensed campsite for years, with a restriction on numbers and what fields they can put campers in. They have a field that is licensed for year-round use and two others that are limited to something like 56 days each a year.

Their neighbours ruthlessly police the days each field is open and the numbers camping there and report them if they think there's a breach. The LA don't seem to take it particularly seriously.

This is the last Bank Holiday weekend of the year and the last weekend of the camping season for most people, so with a bit of luck all should return to normal on Monday afternoon. But best to have a record if it doesn't so take photos/ videos and sound recordings and be careful to mark off all the dates the field is used for camping. Photograph any mess left on your side of the fence. Try and count how many tents/ camper vans are there.

I'd raise it politely with him, saying what a surprise it was and how noisy the campers were, and unless he can assure you it's a one-off you can take your pix to the LA and ask them to advise.

www.pitchup.com/how-start-campsite-caravan-park/

This seems quite detailed. So no licence Needed if for less than 42 days.

@Wheresthesanitygone

It’s freezing here. Take across hot chocolate and hot water bottles and you’ll make a fortune

That's genius! I'll cook up some bacon rolls!

I'm more surprised that the farmer didn't have the courtesy to tell us than actually annoyed.

I suspect various other neighbours will kick off though - they are a bit like that.

I understand people trying to survive, especially at the moment but courtesy costs nothing.

@JacobReesMogadishu

www.pitchup.com/how-start-campsite-caravan-park/

This seems quite detailed. So no licence Needed if for less than 42 days.

It's 42 days for tents. You need a licence for any length of time if it's motor homes- which there are.

As predicted the local Facebook group are going wild over this!

I'll make sure we take photos and video or record anything notable.

Agree with courtesy.

Feeling sorry for lads in the flooding part of for Ady is anything like here Nah Monday. Though less so if they are taking drugs in a field also occupied by families.

How easy to contact the farmer is it?

I would just ask him how long for and perhaps ask if he has a license and mention if these lads get out of control you wouldn't want it backfiring on him.

At then a) he knows your aware a licence is needed and b) he may actually come over and sort the lads out!

Ps. I love a bacon roll of your making them

I would be reporting to the police. The farmer didn’t give you the courtesy of letting you know it was happening so I wouldn’t extend him any either.

He’s using his own land to run an established business and it doesn’t sound as though they’re doing anything very awful apart from enjoying a camping holiday. If they cause a disturbance then let him know or call police if it’s severe enough, but it’s a field over from your house, not your back garden.

It has probably been passed under the 28 day rule of permitted development and neighbours aren't consulted as a general rule. It was extended to 56 days this year. I think you are allowed a maximum of 5 motor homes/caravans and a larger number of tents. I agree, a heads up from the land owner should have happened.

Shouting and drinking at 7pm on a Saturday evening! Good god, what is the world coming to?!

He needs planning permission for the specific field he’s using. There should be a way to contact the planning enforcement team even if it’s just by email.

I would have thought that it might be a private gathering. However, in case this becomes a fixture, here are the planning rules re caravans:

Farms are allowed to diversify and have caravans/tents on their land for up to 40 days a year. Beyond this they will need permission. However, there is a further exemption from normal planning rules whereby farmers can have up to 8 caravans (I believe. It may poss be 9), by licence with The Caravan Club. These sites are licensed by the CC and only members can stay on them. So, basically a farmer could park 8 or so caravans right outside your garden fence, next to a listed building and in a conservation area on a virtually permanent basis. And all because someone in the Lord's in the 1960s liked caravanning! I cannot think of any other organisation that has such rights. So, in essence, he will need to exceed 8 (or 9) caravans for more than 40 days per year before the council will be able to take enforcement action. Noise/nuisance are obviously other issues. Fortunately the weather looks pretty rubbish and schools are back next week so it's unlikely to continue for too much longer.