Caravan on agricultural land

[CaravanConcerns]

We bought a new house last year. It's beautiful - in a National Park, views over fields etc. The field at the bottom of the garden (which is also the main view from the house) was bought last year by a couple with young kids.

It's been used for cows as long as my neighbours remember, it's got a concrete 'drive' off the road with a fairly big stone and corrugated iron cow shed next to it, which leads into the field (only about an acre).

This couple say they want to 're-wild' the field and make it a wildflower meadow with an orchard and beehives etc. Which of course sounds nice in theory. But they've stuck a touring caravan on the drive bit. It's a real eyesore! They said they're just going to use it as a base for working on the field bit, but I'm worried they'll start to use it for overnights, maybe holidays. Longer term, could this be a way for them to try and get planning to convert the cow shed too???

If I report them to the council for having a caravan on agricultural land, do you think they'll do anything about it? I would really appreciate some advice as it's giving me anxiety worrying about what they might do!

They need planning permission for the caravan. If they state that it will not be occupied overnight and is for use as a base for working the land and won’t have a water or power supply etc then it’s very likely to be granted (assuming you don’t live in a conservation area where restrictive covenants would proscribe it.)

The caravan being there or not wouldn’t have any impact on whether later planning permission for a dwelling house would be granted or not, that would be given or rejected on the merits of the application and the suitability of the land.

If they’ve bought a random piece of land not attached to their house then I can only imagine their intention is to try and get planning for something at some point. There aren’t many people who spend money to buy land in the middle of nowhere just to plant a few wild flowers and keep beehives for fun.

If they’ve bought a random piece of land not attached to their house then I can only imagine their intention is to try and get planning for something at some point. There aren’t many people who spend money to buy land in the middle of nowhere just to plant a few wild flowers and keep beehives for fun

I’m afraid OP is agree with this ^^

Is there any chance you could make the couple an offer for the land? I’d be really upset at the eyesore and worried about what they might do too.

Oh gosh this is a worry. So if I call the council will they investigate? It's not ideal.

Will they be penalised for not asking for permission before sticking it there or can they just apply once they're pulled up on it?

We're in a National Park so they can't be sure they will get planning permission for a house because they are usually very strict about that kind of thing. Maybe converting the cow shed would be better than the bloody caravan anyway, as long as they don't build up and block the view!

@Daisydoesnt

If they’ve bought a random piece of land not attached to their house then I can only imagine their intention is to try and get planning for something at some point. There aren’t many people who spend money to buy land in the middle of nowhere just to plant a few wild flowers and keep beehives for fun

I’m afraid OP is agree with this ^^

Is there any chance you could make the couple an offer for the land? I’d be really upset at the eyesore and worried about what they might do too.

I could try and offer but they've just bought it and seem to have a lot of plans - I'm not sure I'd have much luck!

Will they be penalised for not asking for permission before sticking it there or can they just apply once they're pulled up on it?

Planning permission doesn’t penalise, it’s merit-based. Most people don’t realise that you generally need planning permission for caravans on agricultural land, they assume because it’s a moveable structure it’s allowed, so it’s unlikely they’ve done (or will be seen to have done) anything intentionally sneaky; most probably it’s just an oversight on their part.

You’re correct that living in a National Park broadly means that planning consent is more rigid; though I can’t imagine a corrugated metal shed is a more desirable outlook than a well-build dwelling house in keeping with local materials and style. But that’s a bridge to cross if and when it arises.

l can’t imagine a corrugated metal shed is a more desirable outlook than a well-build dwelling house in keeping with local materials and style

Corrugated iron is part of the vernacular around here, so you never know.

Absolutely they will try and get planning for the cowshed, why wouldn’t they ? If they get it, the value of their field will increase hugely. Eg if they have two acres, that is around £8-12000 an acre depending on land and location. With planning, in a NP, that would be up to £200,000.
They may be successful, even in a NP, depending on their plans. I imagine they plan to either live on site in the caravan while working on the cowshed, or use the caravan for short stays while trying to get planning.
How far away is their house ?
You can find out more about the rules for your area, there are size limits to structures like sheds for instance. I think there used to be a rule of a moveable structure being ok as long as it was moved regularly? I may be wrong for your area though, or that might be outdated anyway, so you need to find out what the actual rules are.
I think if they needed somewhere for tools and land management they would have put a shed up rather than a caravan .

Definitely report to the Council. They will investigate, and it is highly likely that PP will be required. A retrospective application can be made, but will be considered in the same way as any other application.

The re-use of existing buildings in the countryside is generally seen as acceptable, as long as the impact of the use is appropriate. The issue of converting to residential is the associated domestic paraphernalia of residential gardens, sheds, parking, kids play equipment etc. This can have a massive impact on the character of the area - especially in a national park, so any permission regarding the cow shed would not be straightforward.

Take lots of photographic evidence now, before they do anything, so you can show the impact.