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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

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

75 replies

rosesinmygarden · 29/08/2020 18:18

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?

OP posts:

Original poster

rosesinmygarden · 29/08/2020 21:01

@NettleTea

permitted development rights if he has over 5 hectares (11 acres) he can do whatever he wants on the land for 28 days without any licence. If its motorsports or clay shooting then its 14 days.

We do a pop up campsite at our farm in August generally, but the rules about cleaning meant that we ought to be doing it every hour for shared facilities and it was too much for the number of tents /campers we allow (about 12 in a 10 acre field)

This year they have doubled the amount of time, so officially he could be open into October but unlikely with the weather

Would have been nice for him to have let you know. The only issue Id think would be the toilets and whether he is managing them according to guidelines. But then Im guessing as with everything in the UK, its only guidance, and if people are happy to not care, there is nothing anyone can do.

The listing we found says it's open until end of November.

I think anyone camping in that field in November is mad...

OP posts:

mumwon · 29/08/2020 21:12

I would think a different tract ie HMRC - the tax man is always interested in getting his cut!

NettleTea · 29/08/2020 21:24

november. brrr bloody hell

VintageStitchers · 30/08/2020 09:10

There’s a camper van with French plates parked in the far corner of the church car park about 200 yards from where I live. We’re rural so only 3 other neighbours vaguely nearby. They’ve been there a fortnight already, although they obviously go out for day trips but then return to park up at night.

I live in a touristy area and the two nearest campsites that I know of are closed this year, so I’m wondering where they are emptying their rubbish and effluent?

The school across from the church re-opens next week so hopefully, they’ll bugger off and find another parking spot. DH thinks they are trying to avoid going back to France because of the quarantine rules.

AlwaysCheddar · 30/08/2020 09:33

Take photos as evidence, then contact council next week.

Manolin · 30/08/2020 09:40

This could be the start of something a little bigger. He/She may push the usage of the site to the edge of what is permissible, perhaps make it all very uncomfortable on a regular basis. A build up of complaints to the local council may assist them in putting the land to alternate use. Such as building 100 new homes. If there is access for camping and motorhomes and there is already development on the other side of the road, it may mean the site is appropriate in the longer term housing plan. I have seen this approach before.

Be careful what you wish for.

DidoAtTheLido · 30/08/2020 10:01

You say you think the farmer has been running a campsite for a while but further from the road and neighbours presumably with no inconvenience or disturbance to anyone.

We have just had torrential rain. Lots of campsites have become flooded and waterlogged. He may have re-located the camping field at short notice because the regular field was waterlogged.

All this talk of reporting him to the council, the police, HMRC, is depressing, rather than just ‘talk to him’.

He may have no intention of having tents in that field again. He may not have had time to alert neighbours. He may have made a choice to relocate rather than disappoint many families who have been looking forward to their only getaway.

I hope that all is resolved by talking with the farmer.

We are going to need farmers to survive, next year.

Mumsnut · 30/08/2020 10:13

Is there actually a loo/shower block?

LakieLady · 30/08/2020 10:37

I live in a touristy area and the two nearest campsites that I know of are closed this year, so I’m wondering where they are emptying their rubbish and effluent?

Do you have a public toilet in the village?

There are some car parks in Cornwall and North Devon that permit motorhomes to stop overnight. When we had our motorhome, we used them occasionally and emptied our "toilet cassette" down the lav. The fluid you put in them degrades any solids really quickly, so the contents is just brown liquid.

The toilet disposal unit on campsites usually just feeds into the same sewer as the toilets anyway, so I can't see any real difference.

DidoAtTheLido · 30/08/2020 11:14

Mumsnut Lakie

The OP says in the OP that there are portaloos. These come with an emptying service.

Original poster

rosesinmygarden · 30/08/2020 13:18

The police were called last night (not by me) and I've heard from neighbours the campsite is being closed down. I'm assuming this means it mist be illegal/unlicensed or whatever the correct term is. Or some thing illegal was reported happening may be?

The farmer is on the local FB group and has only commented to have a go at someone for trespassing (they said they'd done a drive past to get a better look). They've been asked very politely to explain what is happening and have ignored the requests.

The dates on the listing have been changed and it's closing tomorrow.

The portaloos were placed in the field approx 2/3 weeks ago (We assumed for farm workers maybe and thought nothing more of it). This was NOT done on the spur of the moment as an emergency relocation. It was planned well in advance.

I joked with our neighbour that I was thinking about setting up a bacon butty and shower service and the look I got!!!! Suspect she's firmly on the side of whoever called the police!

OP posts:

SoloMummy · 30/08/2020 14:15

@rosesinmygarden
Why would he have to tell you about an established business that's on his land and not directly inconveniencing or effecting you?
If he moves cattle from one field to another should he warn you? Or if he rotates his crops?
If it wasn't an established business, maybe it could have been courteous but it IS , so irrelevant.
Good on him for trying to make something positive out of the year. If all its cost him is some portaloos!

Original poster

rosesinmygarden · 30/08/2020 14:32

[quote SoloMummy]@rosesinmygarden
Why would he have to tell you about an established business that's on his land and not directly inconveniencing or effecting you?
If he moves cattle from one field to another should he warn you? Or if he rotates his crops?
If it wasn't an established business, maybe it could have been courteous but it IS , so irrelevant.
Good on him for trying to make something positive out of the year. If all its cost him is some portaloos![/quote]
He doesn't HAVE to.

Having never had campers in that field before, my personal opinion is that a little courtesy to the neighbours would have been a nice thing. Especially as this farmer expects all of us to tell them in advance if we'll be letting off fireworks or having parties so they can move the animals if they are in the field closest to us so as to not have them bothered by the noise. Why shouldn't we expect the same courtesy they do?

We don't HAVE to tell him about noise we plan to make but we do, because it's discourteous not to.

When we were having our cottage reroofed, this farmer insisted all power tools amd builders radios were turned off whenever they wanted to ride their horses past our house. We did as they asked because it seemed neighbourly, even if it was a little frustrating.

OP posts:

Manolin · 30/08/2020 21:15

@mumwon

I would think a different tract ie HMRC - the tax man is always interested in getting his cut!

There is nothing to say this man is a tax evader.

drspouse · 30/08/2020 21:29

You don't need planning permission for a campsite next to someone's house yet I need planning permission for a 4 ft high bike store at the front of our house...

NettleTea · 31/08/2020 09:57

@SoloMummy

moving cows around or changing crops is an agricultural activity, so no notification is needed.

A campsite is a change of use of the land and, apart from the 28 day rule explained above (extended to 56 days this year) he would require planning permission if he used a different field to that which he had used previously, and that would require a planning notice, hence neighbours being informed.

But beyond that, unless the neighbours had previously caused him alot of grief, or were thought likely to, I would have thought a bit of notification would be polite

Serin · 31/08/2020 11:30

Farmers do not make good enemies OP.
They have the potential to make life very difficult with their access to muck spreaders.

Original poster

rosesinmygarden · 31/08/2020 11:58

@Serin

Farmers do not make good enemies OP. They have the potential to make life very difficult with their access to muck spreaders.

Eh?

Have you read my posts? Do I sound like I and to be his enemy?

OP posts:

Notimeforaname · 31/08/2020 12:16

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
Ah so it's fine for you to have a holida, but not those campers.

Notimeforaname · 31/08/2020 12:16

Holiday *

Original poster

rosesinmygarden · 31/08/2020 12:18

@Notimeforaname

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 Ah so it's fine for you to have a holida, but not those campers.

Not at all.

I have no problem with the individual campers other than the loud teenage boys who kept us all awake.

Perhaps read my comments before making nasty ones yourself.

OP posts:

Notimeforaname · 31/08/2020 12:19

Oh it wasn't a nasty comment at all.

disappointingdessert · 31/08/2020 12:41

Did you get drunk and keep people up on your holiday op?

Original poster

rosesinmygarden · 31/08/2020 12:52

@disappointingdessert

Did you get drunk and keep people up on your holiday op?

I went to stay with my aunt for three days to help her recover from surgery and entertain my younger cousins by taking them for days out.

The police have been out today and arrested some of the campers. I don't know why. They've also told my neighbour the campsite is illegal and it's in the process of being shut down.

OP posts:

Original poster

rosesinmygarden · 31/08/2020 12:57

@disappointingdessert

Did you get drunk and keep people up on your holiday op?

Sorry, to answer your question... no I didn't get drunk and keep anyone awake by shouting until 2 am on my holiday. Because that's really inconsiderate behaviour.

I expect the other campers were pretty fed up about it as well. I don't think many people would enjoy it.

OP posts:

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