Hello, gimmicksthreee-ga!
I have provided some relevant information pertaining to the
establishment of caravan or mobile homes sites in Ireland. In your
original question, you stated that you wanted to move the caravan to
"a field" that did not have water or electricity. Are you anticipating
moving the caravan onto property that you own? Or has an acquaintance
offered to let you set up on their property? If not, I don't see how
you can to dig a foundation and hook up to utilities on property you
do not own or have permission to use.
In either case, it is apparent that you will have to contact the
local planning authority in the area of your relocation to gain
permission to establish a permanent mobile home site.
Since you have not provided any further particulars, I am providing
some relevant information that should prove useful as you anticipate
relocation to Ireland. Costs for foundation and utilities can only be
determined by contacting local contractors in the area you hope to
establish as a permanent mobile home site. There is no way to
determine these costs without personal discussion.
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SETTING UP A PERMANENT MOBILE HOME OR CARAVAN
==============================================
A good overview of the situation in the UK can be found on the BuildIT website
http://www.self-build.co.uk/default.aspx?contentid=f230ed97-d474-4f39-9e81-8bfde4054e05
What is a mobile home?
"For planning purposes, a mobile home or caravan is any structure
designed or adapted to be lived in, which is capable of being moved
from one place to another, by towing or being carried on a vehicle or
trailer, and any vehicle designed or adapted to be lived in. A double
unit can be in not more than two sections, held together by bolts or
clamps, and not more than 60 feet long, 20 feet wide or 10 feet high.
Stationing a caravan is considered in planning to be a use of land
rather than building a structure. Consequently, if anything is built
around a mobile home, such as porches or substantial skirtings, it can
cease to be deemed a mobile home. This has consequences which we'll
see later on. On the face of it the definition of a mobile home might
look clear-cut. However, there have been disputes over whether
chalet-type structures are truly mobile or whether they are
pre-fabricated buildings, and whether removing the wheels of caravans
renders them immobile. If in doubt, check with the council whether
your proposed temporary home would be deemed a mobile home for
planning purposes."
Do mobile homes need permission?
"There is a popular misconception that mobile homes don't need
planning permission but, in most cases, stationing a mobile home,
which is going to be lived in, usually does require planning
permission. This means that you can't just buy part of a field or a
paddock, put a caravan on it and convert that to a permission for a
new house after a few years. There are, however, circumstances in
which mobile homes to be occupied without having to make an
application to the council first. These include living on site while
you're building a house and seasonal or occasional use by agricultural
workers. Mobile homes can be stored in domestic gardens and can even
be used for additional accommodation, provided they are not used as a
living unit separate from the house."
Can a mobile home become established without permission?
"If a mobile home is placed on a site and occupied as an independent
dwelling for 10 years - and you can prove that - it's then too late
for the council to take action against it. You can apply for a
certificate from the council that establishes the use as lawful. The
site can then continue to be used for a mobile home, including
replacement ones. The sort of proof you would need includes invoices
for transportation, invoices for any associated work (such as laying
on water or electricity supplies), council tax records, evidence of a
postal address for the site and sworn statements by people who have
known the site during the 10 year period."
Can mobile homes be 'converted' into permission for a permanent house?
"There is no easy answer to this question. In some circumstances
councils are prepared to see, perhaps, unsightly mobile homes removed
and replaced with a neat well-designed house."
(READ FURTHER....)
==
You might want to follow the following discussion to see if more
replies come up that will be helpful to your situation - or even start
a thread of your own:
"I am hoping someone can help me with some info, or point me in the
direction of where I can find out. I am living in England at the
moment but hope to move back home this year. How viable is it for me
to buy a field rather than a "site" and site a mobile home on it.
Would I need planning permission for the mobile? How long would it
take before I could apply for planning permission to build a house?"
http://www.daft.ie/discussions.daft?dcn[discussion_id]=83097&dcn[forum_id]=4
==
From what I can gather, you will need to contact the local planning
commission of the area you hope to relocate to see if regulations will
allow your caravan/mobile home on the land you choose.
The following article provides reference to setting up a mobile home in Ireland:
From "Irish Living: Farewell poky caravan, hello style."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2098-1782513,00.html
"If you intend to locate one permanently in a rural setting, you will
need planning permission, according to Stephen Dowds, a planning
consultant based in Galway. "If your plan is to locate it full time on
a rural site, it will be dealt with by planners in the same way that
they deal with a non-mobile home, regardless of its size. So, it will
depend on the nature of the area and the house?s design," he says.
"In the UK, local authorities have been extremely amenable to them as
they?re eco-friendly and their design doesn?t jar in the countryside,"
says McShane.
==
An example of a discussion about mobile home compliance can be found
in the following case before a local Planning Commission, where a
discussion ensued about the "appropriateness" of a mobile home on a
certain parcel of land.
Read:
"PLANNING APPEALS COMMISSIONTHE PLANNING (NORTHERN IRELAND) ORDER
1991ARTICLE 32 - Appeal by Mr A Price against the refusal of full
planning permission for retention of an existing mobile home, 71
Oldstone Hill, Muckamore."
http://www.pacni.gov.uk/reports/7075R.pdf
==
A mobile home or caravan can be considered a "house":
5. Does residence only mean a house?
No. residence means:
A house
A flat or appartment
Any garden or grounds of an ornamental nature which are used along
with the house or flat
A Mobile Home/Caravan - provided it:
- Is on a permanent site
- Is of a reasonable size to fulfill the requirements of use as a permanent
residence
- Has electricity and other services supplied to it
- Is immobilised (i.e. wheels removed and mounted on blocks).
From Irish Tax at my fingertips
http://www.fixmytax.com/faq-buying-a-house.html
==
While the following site discusses setting up a mobile home or
caravan in Scotland, you might find some of the information to be
quite helpful.
See "About mobile homes and sites."
http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-2459.cfm
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CARAVANS ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1963
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A relevant statute to your situation is the "Caravans Act (Northern Ireland) 1963."
The entire Act may be found on the following link:
Caravans Act (Northern Ireland) 1963
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/legislation/northernireland/nisr/yeargroups/1960-1969/1963/1963anip/aos/c17.htm
"An Act to make provision for the licensing and control of caravan
sites; to authorise local authorities to provide and operate caravan
sites, and for purposes connected with those matters."
Prohibition of use of land as caravan site without site licence.
(1) "Subject to the provisions of this Act, an occupier of any land
shall not after the commencement of this Act cause or permit any part
of the land to be used as a caravan site unless he is the holder of a
site licence (that is to say, a licence under this Act authorising the
use of land as a caravan site) for the time being in force as respects
the land so used."
(2) "If the occupier of any land contravenes sub-section (1) he shall
be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction [. . .] F003
to a fine not exceeding [F003level 4 on the standard scale]."
(3) "In this Act "occupier " means, in relation to any land, the
person who, by virtue of an estate or interest therein held by him, is
entitled to possession thereof or would be so entitled except for the
rights of any other person under any licence (not amounting to a
contract of tenancy) granted in respect of the land, but where land of
not more than four hundred square yards in area is let under a tenancy
entered into with a view to the use of the land as a caravan site,
"occupier " means in relation to that land the person who would be
entitled to possession of the land except for the rights of any person
under that tenancy."
(4) "In this Act "caravan site " means land on which a caravan is
stationed for the purposes of human habitation and land which is used
in conjunction with land on which a caravan is so stationed."
=
There are certain instances where a Caravan site permit is not
required but they are all quite temporary. Again - you are speaking
about building a foundation, conncecting to water, etc.
Please see the section titled:
"CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH A CARAVAN SITE LICENCE IS NOT REQUIRED.'
For example:
Use within curtilage of a dwellinghouse
1. "A site licence shall not be required for the use of land as a
caravan site if the use is incidental to the enjoyment as such of a
dwellinghouse within the curtilage of which the land is situated."
Other exemptions include:
Use by a person travelling with a caravan for one or two nights
Use of holdings of five acres or more in certain circumstances
Sites occupied and supervised by exempted organisations
Sites approved by exempted organisations
Meetings organised by exempted organisations
Agricultural and forestry workers
Building and engineering sites
Travelling showmen
Sites ocupied by licensing authority
Certification of exempted organisations
Read about these exemptions, and other provisions of the act....
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/legislation/northernireland/nisr/yeargroups/1960-1969/1963/1963anip/c17_000.htm#H1
========================================
APPLICATION FOR SITE LICENSE - EXAMPLE
========================================
It appears you will have to apply for a Caravan Site license if you
choose to relocate to Ireland.
Since you have not clarified your intended location, the following
link provides an example of an application for a Caravan Site license
application in accordance with the Caravans Act (Northern Ireland)
1963
http://www.fermanagh.gov.uk/onlineservices/CaravanLicence.cfm?Category_Key=0&Website_Key=47&Page_Key=0
http://www.fermanagh.gov.uk/ServiceDownloads/AppCaravSite.pdf
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CARAVAN TRANSPORT/RELOCATION
=============================
Several companies specialize in transporting caravans from one site to
another throughout the UK. The following website provides a lengthy
list:
See:
Caravanning Links
http://www.caravanninglinks.co.uk/caravan_transporters.htm
Those companies with websites include:
Caravan Transport Services
============================
http://www.filleusfog.karoo.net/caravan/caravan_transport.htm
Caravan Transport Services has over 20 years experience in the
movement of caravans and holiday homes
Providing specialist haulage services for:
Manufacturers
Dealers
Caravan Parks
Caravan Owners
Sambeck Caravans
=================
http://www.sambeckcaravans.co.uk/transport
"As well as handling the sales of caravans on to dedicated parks and
private land, we have over 25 years experience in transporting
caravans. We have low loaders designed to transport caravans,and if
you want one or a hundred and one caravans moved we are the company to
call, distance is no object. All loads are fully insured. For your
convenience we can offer a timed delivery.
Seabrooks Caravan Transport
=============================
http://www.seabrooktransport.supanet.com/
"With over 15 years experience in the business we offer transport of
touring caravans and motor homes throughout the UK."
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RESIDENTIAL PARKS IN THE UK
============================
In case you have a mind to relocate to another residential park, the
following link provides a map of locations around the UK:
http://directories.thecaravan.net/residentialparks/
===
I hope this information helps you through the preliminary stages of
your plans to relocate and establish a permanent homesite with your
caravan.
Sincerely,
umiat
Search Strategy
caravan AND Ireland
caravan transport
"mobile home" AND planning commission AND Ireland
permanent caravan AND ireland
regulation OR law AND permanent mobile home AND Ireland
getting permission to live in a mobile home AND Ireland
residential planning council for permanent home site AND Ireland
foundation costs AND mobile home or caravan site AND Ireland |
