(1)Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act, no occupier of land shall 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 Part of 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 subsection (1) of this section he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction, in the case of the first offence to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty pounds.
(3)In this Part of this Act the expression " 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 but for the rights of any other person under any licence granted in respect of the land:
Provided that where land amounting to 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, the expression " occupier " means in relation to that land the person who would be entitled to possession of the land but for the rights of any person under that tenancy.
(4)In this Part of this Act the expression " 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.
No site licence shall be required for the use of land as a caravan site in any of the circumstances specified in the First Schedule to this Act and that Schedule shall have effect accordingly.
(1)An application for the issue of a site licence in respect of any land may be made by the occupier thereof to the local authority in whose area the land is situated.
(2)An application under this section shall be in writing and shall specify the land in respect of which the application is made; and the applicant shall, either at the time of making the application or subsequently, give to the local authority such particulars, set out in such form, as the Minister may from time to time prescribe by order made by statutory instrument.
(3)A local authority may on an application under this section issue a site licence in respect of the land if, and only if, the applicant is, at the time when the site licence is issued, entitled to the benefit of a permission for the use of the land as a caravan site granted under Part III of the Act of 1947 otherwise than by a development order.
(4)If at the date when the applicant duly gives the particulars prescribed under subsection (2) of this section he is entitled to the benefit of such a permission as aforesaid, the local authority shall issue a site licence in respect of the land within two months of that date or, if the applicant and the local authority agree in writing that the local authority shall be afforded a longer period within which to grant a site licence, within the period so agreed.
(5)If the applicant becomes entitled to the benefit of such a permission as aforesaid at some time after duly giving the particulars prescribed under subsection (2) of this section the local authority shall issue a site licence in respect of the land within six weeks of the date on which he becomes so entitled or, if the applicant and the local authority agree in writing that the local authority shall be afforded a longer period within which to grant a site licence, within the period so agreed.
(6)Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this section, a local authority shall not at any time issue a site licence to a person who to their knowledge has held a site licence which has been revoked in pursuance of the provisions of this Part of this Act less than three years before that time.
(1)Where permission for the use of any land as a caravan site has been granted under Part III of the Act of 1947 otherwise than by a development order, and has been so granted in terms such that it will expire at the end of a specified period, any site licence issued in respect of the land by virtue of the existence of that permission shall expire, and shall be stated to expire, at the end of that period; but, subject as aforesaid, a site licence shall not be issued for a limited period only.
(2)If after a site licence is issued the terms of the said permission are varied by the Minister on an appeal under section sixteen of the Act of 1947, the local authority who issued the licence shall make in the site licence any alteration required to secure that its terms comply with the provisions of the foregoing subsection.
(1)A site licence issued by a local authority in respect of any land may be so issued subject to such conditions as the authority may think it necessary or desirable to impose on the occupier of the land in the interests of persons dwelling thereon in caravans, or of any other class of persons, or of the public at large; and in particular, but without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, a site licence may be issued subject to conditions—
(a)for restricting the occasions on which caravans are stationed on the land for the purposes of human habitation, or the total number of caravans which are so stationed at any one time ;
(b)for controlling (whether by reference to their size, the state of their repair or, subject to the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, any other feature) the types of caravan which are stationed on the land ;
(c)for regulating the positions in which caravans are stationed on the land for the purposes of human habitation and for prohibiting, restricting, or otherwise regulating, the placing or erection on the land, at any time when caravans are so stationed, of structures and vehicles of any description whatsoever and of tents;
(d)for securing the taking of any steps for preserving or enhancing the amenity of the land, including the planting and replanting thereof with trees and bushes ;
(e)for securing that, at all times when caravans are stationed on the land, proper measures are taken for preventing and detecting the outbreak of fire and adequate means of fighting fire are provided and maintained;
(f)for securing that adequate sanitary facilities, and such other facilities, services or equipment as may be specified, are provided for the use of persons dwelling on the land in caravans and that, at all times when caravans are stationed thereon for the purposes of human habitation, any facilities and equipment so provided are properly maintained.
(2)No condition shall be attached to a site licence controlling the types of caravans which are stationed on the land by reference to the materials used in their construction.
(3)A site licence issued in respect of any land shall, unless it is issued subject to a condition restricting to three or less the total number of caravans which may be stationed on the land at any one time, contain an express condition that, at all times when caravans are stationed on the land for the purposes of human habitation, a copy of the licence as for the time being in force shall be displayed on the land in some conspicuous place.
(4)A condition attached to a site licence may, if it requires the carrying out of any works on the land in respect of which the licence is issued, prohibit or restrict the bringing of caravans on to the land for the purposes of human habitation until such time as the local authority have certified in writing that the works have been completed to their satisfaction; and where the land to which the site licence relates is at the time in use as a caravan site, the condition may, whether or not it contains any such prohibition or restriction as aforesaid, require the works to be completed to the satisfaction of the authority within a stated period.
(5)For the avoidance of doubt, it is hereby declared that a condition attached to a site licence shall be valid notwithstanding that it can be complied with only by the carrying out of works which the holder of the site licence is not entitled to carry out as of right.
(6)The Minister may from time to time specify for the purposes of this section model standards with respect to the layout of, and the provision of facilities, services and equipment for, caravan sites or particular types of caravan site; and in deciding what (if any) conditions to attach to a site licence, a local authority shall have regard to any standards so specified.
Where a local authority, being required under section three of this Act to issue a site licence in respect of any land, fail to do so within the period within which they are required to issue a site licence by that section, no offence under section one of this Act shall be committed in respect of the land by the person by whom the application for the site licence was made at any time after the expiration of the said period and before a site licence is issued in pursuance of the said application.
(1)Any person aggrieved by any condition (other than the condition referred to in subsection (3) of section five of this Act) subject to which a site licence has been issued to him in respect of any land may, within twenty-eight days of the date on which the licence was so issued, appeal to a magistrates' court acting for the petty sessions area in which the land is situated; and the court, if satisfied (having regard amongst other things to any standards which may have been specified by the Minister under subsection (6) of the said section five) that the condition is unduly burdensome, may vary or cancel the condition.
(2)In so far as the effect of a condition (in whatever words expressed) subject to which a site licence is issued in respect of any land is to require the canning out on the land of any works, the condition shall not have effect during the period within which the person to whom the site licence is issued is entitled by virtue of the foregoing subsection to appeal against the condition nor, thereafter, whilst an appeal against the condition is pending.
(1)The conditions attached to a site licence may be altered at any time (whether by the variation or cancellation of existing conditions, or by the addition of new conditions, or by a combination of any such methods) by the local authority, but before exercising their powers under this subsection the local authority shall afford to the holder of the licence an opportunity of making representations.
(2)Where the holder of a site licence is aggrieved by any alteration of the conditions attached thereto or by the refusal of the local authority of an application by him for the alteration of those conditions, he may, within twenty-eight days of the date on which written notification of the alteration or refusal is received by him, appeal to a magistrates' court acting for the petty sessions area in which the land to which the site licence relates is situated; and the court may, if they allow the appeal, give to the local authority such directions as may be necessary to give effect to their decision.
(3)The alteration by a local authority of the conditions attached to any site licence shall not have effect until written notification thereof has been received by the holder of the licence, and in so far as any such alteration imposes a requirement on the holder of the licence to carry out on the land to which the licence relates any works which he would not otherwise be required to carry out, the alteration shall not have effect during the period within which the said holder is entitled by virtue of the last foregoing subsection to appeal against the alteration nor, thereafter, whilst an appeal against the alteration is pending.
(4)In exercising the powers conferred upon them by subsection (1) and subsection (2) of this section respectively, a local authority and a magistrates' court shall have regard amongst other things to any standards which may have been specified by the Minister under subsection (6) of section five of this Act.
(1)If an occupier of land fails to comply with any condition for the time being attached to a site licence held by him in respect of the land, he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction, in the case of the first offence to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty pounds.
(2)Where a person convicted under this section for failing to comply with a condition attached to a site licence has on two or more previous occasions been convicted thereunder for failing to comply with a condition attached to that licence, the court before whom he is convicted may, if an application in that behalf is made at the hearing by the local authority in whose area the land is situated, make an order for the revocation of the said site licence to come into force on such date as the count may specify in the order, being a date after the end of the period of fourteen days mentioned in subsection (1) of section eighty-four and subsection (2) of section eighty-seven of the Magistrates' Courts Act, 1952, as the period within which the person convicted may bring an appeal, whether by case stated or otherwise; and if before the date so specified an appeal is so brought the order shall be of no effect pending the final determination or withdrawal of the appeal.
The person convicted or the local authority who issued the site licence may apply to the magistrates' court which has made such an order revoking a site licence for an order extending the period at the end of which the revocation is to come into force, and the magistrates' court may, if satisfied that adequate notice of the application has been given to the local authority or, as the case may be, the person convicted, make an order extending that period.
(3)Where an occupier of land fails within the time specified in a condition attached to a site licence held by him to complete to the satisfaction of the local authority in whose area the land is situated any works required by the condition to be so completed, the local authority may carry out those works, and may recover as a simple contract debt in any court of competent jurisdiction from that person any expenses reasonably incurred by them in that behalf.
(1)When the holder of a site licence in respect of any land ceases to be the occupier of the land, he may, with the consent of the local authority in whose area the land is situated, transfer the licence to the person who then becomes the occupier of the land.
(2)Where a local authority give their consent to the transfer of a site licence, they shall endorse on the licence the name of the person to whom it is to be transferred and the date agreed between the parties to the transfer as the date on which that person is, for the purposes of this Part of this Act, to be treated as having become the holder of the licence.
(3)If an application is made under subsection (1) of this section for consent to the transfer of a site licence to a person who is to become the occupier of the land, that person may apply for a site licence under section three of this Act as if he were the occupier of the land, and if the local authority at any time before issuing a site licence in compliance with that application give their consent to the transfer they need not proceed with the application for the site licence.
(4)Where any person becomes, by operation of law, entitled to an estate or interest in land in respect of which a site licence is in force and is, by virtue of his holding that estate or interest, the occupier of the land within the meaning of this Part of this Act he shall, for the purposes of this Part of this Act, be treated as having become the holder of the licence on the day on which he became the occupier of the land, and the local authority in whose area the land is situated shall, if an application in that behalf is made to them, endorse his name and the said date on the licence.
(1)A local authority who have issued a site licence may at any time require the holder to deliver it up so as to enable them to enter in it any alteration of the conditions or other terms of the licence made in pursuance of the provisions of this Part of this Act.
(2)If the holder of a site licence fails without reasonable excuse to comply with a requirement duly made under this section he shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding ten pounds.
(1)It shall be a condition of any licence or of any such tenancy as is mentioned in subsection (3) of section one of this Act that if any person in exercise of rights under the licence or tenancy does anything which would constitute an offence under that section if that person were the occupier of the land, the person who is the occupier of the land may take possession of the land and terminate the licence or tenancy; and in determining whether the occupier of the land has permitted the land to be used as a caravan site account shall be taken of any powers exercisable by him under this subsection.
(2)The occupier of any land subject to a licence or subject to any such tenancy as is mentioned in subsection (3) of section one of this Act shall have the right, as against any person claiming under the licence or tenancy, to enter on the land and do anything on the land reasonably required for the purpose of complying with any conditions attached to a site licence issued with respect to the land.
In this Part of this Act the expression " existing site " means—
(a)land which is in use as a caravan site at the commencement of this Act and which was also used as a caravan site on the ninth day of March, nineteen hundred and sixty, and
(b)land begun to be used as a caravan site after the said ninth day of March, nineteen hundred and sixty, and so used at the commencement of this Act, where permission for the use of the land as a caravan site at the commencement of this Act has been granted under Part III of the Act of 1947 otherwise than by a development order, and
(c)land (whether or not land which is in use as a caravan site at the commencement of this Act) for the use of which as a caravan site permission under the said Part III is at the commencement of this Act, by virtue of subsection (5) of section twelve of the Act of 1947, not required.
No offence shall be committed under section one of this Act in respect of an existing site at any time within the period of two months beginning with the commencement of this Act, and if within that period the occupier of an existing site duly makes an application under this Part of this Act for a site licence, no offence shall be committed under section one of this Act in respect of the existing site at any time after the expiration of the said period, and before a site licence is first issued in respect of that existing site.
Where land used as a caravan site at the commencement of this Act was taken into use as such after the ninth day of March, nineteen hundred and sixty, and the occupier was, at the time, entitled to the benefit of a permission in that behalf granted by a development order (and not in pursuance of an application in that behalf), no offence shall be committed under section one of this Act in respect of the land during the period of three months beginning with the commencement of this Act.
(1)Subject to subsection (3) of this section, the occupier of an existing site shall not at any time before a site licence is first issued in respect thereof cause or permit the number of caravans stationed thereon for the purposes of human habitation to exceed at any one time whichever of the following numbers is the greatest (that is to say):—
(a)the number so stationed at the commencement of this Act; or
(b)where the occupier is entitled to the benefit of any permission granted under Part III of the Act of 1947 for the use of the land as a caravan site subject to a condition limiting the number of caravans which may be stationed on the existing site, the number so limited for the time being ; or
(c)where the occupier is the holder of a licence under section two hundred and sixty-nine of the Public Health Act, 1936, or under any local enactment, which is subject to a condition limiting the number of caravans on the existing site, the number so limited for the time being.
(2)If the Occupier of an existing site contravenes subsection (1) of this section he shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction, in the case of the first offence to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty pounds.
(3)In any proceedings for an offence under this section it shall be a defence to show that the existing site is one to which paragraph (c) of section thirteen of this Act applies and that the number of caravans stationed thereon for the purposes of human habitation at the time at which the offence is alleged to have been committed did not exceed the greatest number so stationed at any one time during the period of two years ending with the commencement of this Act.
(4)This section shall not apply so as to make unlawful the stationing of caravans on land in circumstances in which, by virtue of section two of this Act, a site licence would not be required for the use of the land as a caravan site if it were not an existing site.
(1)This section shall apply to any application for a site licence in respect of an existing site which is made within two months of the commencement of this Act, or within such longer period as the local authority to whom the application is made may, having regard to the special circumstances of the case, allow, other than an application in respect of a site which has at the date of the application the benefit of a permission for the use of the land as a caravan site granted under Part III of the Act of 1947 otherwise than by a development order.
(2)On the making of an application to which this section applies, the local authority to whom the application is made shall take any steps required for transmitting the application to the local planning authority and the local planning authority may grant permission for the use of the existing site as a caravan site under Part III of the Act of 1947 as if the application for the site licence were an application for such permission (and as if compliance with sections thirty-six and thirty-seven of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1959 (which impose requirements to be complied with before certain applications for planning permission are entertained), were not required).
(3)Unless—
(a)before the expiration of a period of six months beginning with the date on which the application is made permission has been granted in pursuance of the last foregoing subsection for the use of the land to which the application relates as a caravan site, or
(b)before the expiration of the said period, and either before or after the commencement of this Act, the owner and occupier (within the meaning of the Act of 1947) of the land have been served with an enforcement notice under section twenty-three of that Act requiring the use of the land as a caravan site to be discontinued or with notice of an order submitted to the Minister under section twenty-six of that Act and requiring that use to be discontinued,
permission for the use of the land as a caravan site shall be deemed for all purposes to have been granted at the end of that period under the said Part III of the Act of 1947 without any condition or limitation.
(4)If at any time within the said period of six months beginning with the date on which the application to which this section applies is made the land as respects which the application is made is not being used as a caravan site, the local planning authority may serve any such enforcement notice under the said section twenty-three of the Act of 1947, or make any such order under the said section twenty-six of that Act, as they would have had power to serve or make if the land was then being used as a caravan site.
(5)Where, on an application to which this section applies, permission for the use of the land as a caravan site is granted under Part III of the Act of 1947 by virtue of subsection (2) of this section, and is so granted subject to conditions or limitations, section sixteen of the Act of 1947 (which provides for appeals to the Minister) shall apply in relation to the said application as if it had been an application for permission to develop the land.
Where an application for a site licence is made in respect of an existing site and—
(a)the existing site has at the date of the application the benefit of a permission for the use of the land as a caravan site granted under Part III of the Act of 1947 otherwise than by a development order, but
(b)the said permission was granted before the commencement of this Act and in terms such that it will expire within a period of six months beginning with the date of the application,
no account shall be taken of the said permission either for the purposes of section three of this Act or for the purposes of the last foregoing section; and the last foregoing section shall have effect in relation to the said application as if for the references in subsections (3) and (4) thereof to a period of six months beginning with the date on which the application is made there were substituted references to a period of six months beginning with the date on which the said permission will expire.
(1)Without prejudice to the provisions of section five of this Act, conditions attached to a site licence in respect of an existing site may, where the local authority who issue the licence consider that, having regard to any standards which have been specified by the Minister under subsection (6) of section five of this Act, the number of caravans stationed on the existing site for the purposes of human habitation is excessive, and that the reduction of that number may involve the displacement of persons who are resident on the existing site—
(a)impose requirements for the purpose of securing that where a person or family ceases to dwell in a caravan, their place shall not be taken by any other person or family, or that where a caravan is taken away from a site it shall not be brought back or replaced, and
(b)impose other requirements for the purpose of securing that the number of caravans on a caravan site are progressively reduced,
so, however, that the conditions shall not be framed so as to require the reduction of the number of caravans below the greatest number which can in the opinion of the local authority, and having regard to the said standards, be properly stationed on the land.
(2)Conditions restricting the total number of caravans stationed on a caravan site, other than conditions of the description in paragraph (a) of the foregoing subsection, shall not be attached to a site licence in respect of an existing site unless the local authority who issue the licence are satisfied that, if the imposition of those conditions leads to the displacement of persons who are resident on the existing site, suitable alternative accommodation is or will be available for them.
(1)On the grant of permission under Part III of the Act of 1947 for the use of an existing site as a caravan site subject to a condition such that the permission will expire at the end of a specified period the local planning authority or, as the case may be, the Minister, if of opinion that the permission ought not to be granted but for the need to afford time for persons resident on the existing site to secure other accommodation, may issue with the permission a direction that conditions may be attached to any site licence for the existing site for the purpose of securing that its use as a caravan site will be terminated in due course.
(2)Section sixteen of the Act of 1947 (which provides for appeals to the Minister against conditions attached to planning permission) shall apply in relation to the decision of a local planning authority to grant permission under Part III of the Act of 1947 with a direction under the foregoing subsection as if references in that section to conditions included references to such a direction.
(3)Where a direction has been issued as respects an existing site under subsection (1) of this section (not being a direction which has been discharged on an appeal under the said section sixteen) conditions imposed for the purpose of securing that the number of caravans on the existing site are progressively reduced may, subject to the limitation specified in subsection (2) of the last foregoing section as respects the availability of suitable alternative accommodation, be attached to a site licence for the existing site for the purpose of securing that the use of the existing site as a caravan site is terminated in due course.
(4)For the purposes of deciding any appeal under section seven, or under subsection (2) of section eight, of this Act a condition attached to a site licence for an existing site in pursuance of this section shall not be regarded as unduly burdensome solely on the ground that it will have the effect of terminating in due course its use as a caravan site, but this subsection shall not apply in relation to an appeal under the said subsection (2) against the refusal of a local authority of an application by the holder of a site licence for the alteration of conditions attached in pursuance of this section where the direction by reference to which those conditions were attached has been discharged on an appeal under section sixteen of the Act of 1947.
After the commencement of this Act the use of any land as a caravan site shall not be treated by virtue of subsection (5) of section twelve of the Act of 1947 as a use for which permission is not required under Part III of the Act of 1947 unless the land has been so used on one occasion at least during the period of two years ending with the ninth day of March, nineteen hundred and sixty.
(1)Before a local planning authority grant permission for the use of land as a caravan site under Part III of the Act of 1947 they shall, unless they are also the authority having power to issue a site licence for that land, consult the local authority having that power.
(2)This section shall apply in relation to permission granted on an application in that behalf whether or not the application was made after the commencement of this Act.
(1)This section applies to any land in the area of a rural district council which is or forms part of a common, not being land falling within any of the following descriptions, that is to say—
(a)land to which section one hundred and ninety-three of the Law of Property Act, 1925 (which relates to the rights of the public over certain commons and waste lands), for the time being applies;
(b)land which is subject to a scheme under Part I of the Commons Act, 1899 (under which schemes may be made for the regulation and management of certain commons);
(c)land as respects which a site licence is for the time being in force.
(2)The council of a rural district may make with respect to any land in their area to which this section applies an order prohibiting, either absolutely or except in such circumstances as may be specified in the order, the stationing of caravans on the land for the purposes of human habitation.
(3)Without prejudice to the provisions of section one of this Act, any person who stations a caravan on any land in contravention of an order under this section for the time being in force with respect to the land shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding ten pounds.
(4)It shall be the duty of a rural district council to take all reasonable steps to secure that copies of any order under this section which is for the time being in force with respect to any land in their area are so displayed on the land as to give to persons entering thereon adequate warning of the existence of the order, and the council shall have the right to place on the land such notices as they consider necessary for the performance of their duty under this subsection.
(5)An order under this section may be revoked at any time by a subsequent order made thereunder by the rural district council, or may be so varied either so as to exclude any land from the operation of the order or so as to introduce any exception, or further exception, from the prohibition imposed by the order.
(6)Where the whole or a part of any land with respect to which an order under this section is in force ceases to be land to which this section applies, the said order shall thereupon cease to have effect with respect to the said land or part; and where an order ceases under this subsection to have effect with respect to a part only of any land, the rural district council shall cause any copy of the order which is displayed on that part of the land with respect to which the order continues in force to be amended accordingly.
(7)The provisions of the Second Schedule to this Act shall, subject as therein provided, have effect with respect to orders under this section.
(8)In this section the word " common " includes any land subject to be enclosed under the Inclosure Acts, 1845 to 1882, and any town or village green.
(1)A local authority shall have power within their area to provide sites where caravans may be brought, whether for holidays or other temporary purposes or for use as permanent residences, and to manage the sites or lease them to some other person.
(2)Subject to the provisions of this section, a local authority shall have power to do anything appearing to them desirable in connection with the provision of such sites, and in particular—
(a)to acquire land which is in use as a caravan site, or which has been laid out as a caravan site, or
(b)to provide for the use of those occupying caravan sites `any services or facilities for their health or convenience ;
and in exercising their powers under this section the local authority shall have regard to any standards which may have been specified by the Minister under subsection (6) of section five of this Act.
(3)The local authority shall make in respect of the use of sites managed by them, and of any services or facilities provided or made available under this section, such reasonable charges as they may determine.
(4)A local authority may make available the services and facilities provided under this section for those who do not normally reside in the area of the local authority as freely as for those who do.
(5)A local authority shall, in the performance of their functions under this section, have power, where it appears to them that a caravan site or an additional caravan site is needed in their area, or that land which is in use as a caravan site should in the interests of the users of caravans be taken over by the local authority, to acquire land, or any interest in land, compulsorily.
(6)The power of a local authority under the last foregoing subsection to acquire land, or any interest in land, compulsorily shall be exercisable in any particular case on their being authorised to do so by the Minister, and the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) Act, 1946, shall have effect in relation to the acquisition of land, or any interest in land, under the said subsection as if this Act had been in force immediately before the commencement of that Act.
(7)A local authority shall not have power under this section to provide caravans.
(8)In this section the expression " local authority " includes the council of a county and a joint planning board constituted under section four of the Act of 1947 for an area which consists of or includes a National Park as denned by subsection (3) of section five of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act, 1949, or any part of such a National Park.
(9)This section extends to the administrative county of London and the expression "local authority" in this section as so extended includes the council of a metropolitan borough.
(1)Every local authority shall keep a register of site licences issued in respect of land situated in their area, and every such register shall be open for inspection by the public at all reasonable times.
(2)Where under subsection (2) or subsection (4) of section ten of this Act a local authority endorse on a site licence the name of any person in the circumstances described in those subsections, they shall record his name, and the date entered in the licence, in the register of site licences.
(1)Subject to the provisions of this section, any authorised officer of a local authority shall, on producing, if so required, some duly authenticated document showing his authority, have a right at all reasonable hours to enter any land which is used as a caravan site or in respect of which an application for a site licence has been made,—
(a)for the purpose of enabling the local authority to determine what conditions should be attached to a site licence or whether conditions attached to a site licence should be altered;
(b)for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is, or has been, on or in connection with the land any contravention of the provisions of this Part of this Act;
(c)for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not circumstances exist which would authorise the local authority to take any action, or execute any work, under this Part of this Act;
(d)for the purpose of taking any action, or executing any work, authorised by this Part of this Act to be taken or executed by the local authority:
Provided that admission to any land shall not be demanded as of right unless twenty-four hours notice of the intended entry has been given to the occupier.
(2)If it is shown to the satisfaction of a justice of the peace—
(a)that admission to any land has been refused, or that refusal is apprehended, or that the occupier of the land is temporarily absent and the case is one of urgency, or that an application for admission would defeat the object of the entry; and
(b)that there is reasonable ground for entering on the land for any such purpose as is mentioned in subsection (1) of this section,
the justice may by warrant under his hand authorise the local authority by any authorised officer to enter the land, if need be by force:
Provided that such a warrant shall not be issued unless the justice is satisfied either that notice of the intention to apply for the warrant has been given to the occupier, or that the occupier is temporarily absent and the case is one of urgency, or that the giving of such notice would defeat the object of the entry.
(3)An authorised officer entering any land by virtue of this section, or of a warrant issued thereunder, may take with him such other persons as may be necessary.
(4)Every warrant granted under this section shall continue in force until the purpose for which the entry is necessary has been satisfied.
(5)A person who wilfully obstructs any person acting in the execution of this section, or of a warrant under this section, shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five pounds.
(1)The Minister may within the period of two years beginning with the commencement of this Act by order repeal or amend any provision in any local Act passed before the commencement of this Act or in any order or other instrument made under an Act of Parliament before the commencement of this Act, where it appears to him that that provision is superseded by or inconsistent with the provisions of this Part of this Act.
(2)Before making an order under this section the Minister shall consult with any local authority, and with the council of any county, in any part of whose area the local Act or instrument is in force.
(3)An order made under this section—
(a)may contain such transitional, supplemental or incidental provisions as appear to the Minister to be expedient, and
(b)shall be made by statutory instrument.
The provisions of this Part of this Act relating to site licences shall apply to land the occupier of which is not the Crown notwithstanding that an interest in the land belongs to Her Majesty in right of the Crown or of the Duchy of Lancaster, or to the Duchy of Cornwall, or belongs to a government department or is held in trust for Her Majesty for the purposes of a government department.
(1)In this Part of this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—
" caravan " means any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another (whether by being towed, or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer) and any motor vehicle so designed or adapted, but does not include—
any railway rolling stock which is for the time being on rails forming part of a railway system, or
any tent;
" caravan site " has the meaning assigned to it by subsection (4) of section one of this Act;
" development order " means an order made under section thirteen of the Act of 1947 (under which orders may be made which, in some cases, themselves grant permission for development and, in other cases, provide that permission shall be granted on an application in that behalf);
" existing site " has the meaning assigned to it by section thirteen of this Act;
" local authority " means a council of a borough or urban or rural district and the Council of the Isles of Scilly;
" occupier " has the meaning assigned to it by subsection (3) of section one of this Act and "occupied" and " occupation " shall be construed accordingly;
" site licence " has the meaning assigned to it by subsection (1) of section one of this Act;
" the Minister " means the Minister of Housing and Local Government.
(2)Any reference in this Part of this Act to the carrying out of works shall include a reference to the planting of trees and shrubs and the carrying out of other operations for preserving or enhancing the amenity of land.
(3)For the purposes of any provision of this Part of this Act relating to the expiration of permission granted under Part III of the Act of 1947 for any use of land, permission granted for the use of land for intermittent periods shall not be regarded as expiring at any time so long as the permission authorises the use of the land for further intermittent periods.
(4)Any reference in this Part of this Act to permission granted under Part III of the Act of 1947 for the use of land as a caravan site shall be taken as a reference to such permission whether or not restricted in any way or subject to any condition or limitation, and any reference in this Part of this Act to such permission shall include a reference to permission deemed to be granted under the said Part III.
(5)In this Part of this Act references to the local planning authority shall, where appropriate, be taken as references to any local authority to whom any of the functions of the local planning authority under Part III of the Act of 1947 have been delegated.
(1)Section two hundred and sixty-nine of the Public Health Act, 1936 (which empowers local authorities in England and Wales, excluding London, to control by means of licences the use of movable dwellings within their areas) shall cease to have effect in relation to caravans ; and in subsection (5) of that section, paragraph (ii) thereof (which exempts from the provisions of the said section a movable dwelling belonging to and regularly used by a travelling showman in the course of travelling for the purposes of his business) shall be omitted.
(2)Any condition contained in a licence which, at the commencement of this Act, is held by the occupier of any land under the said section two hundred and sixty-nine shall, until such time as a site licence is issued in respect of that land, continue to have effect as if subsection (1) of this section had not been enacted; and, subsection (7) of the said section two hundred and sixty-nine (which imposes penalties for failure to comply with a condition attached to a licence granted under that section) shall apply to any failure on the part of an occupier of land to comply with any condition having effect by virtue of this subsection, not being a condition limiting the number of caravans which may be stationed on the land.
Except as otherwise expressly provided, this Part of this Act shall not apply to land in the administrative county of London.
(1)This Part of this Act shall apply to Scotland with the following modifications:—
(a)for any reference to the Minister there shall be substituted a reference to the Secretary of State;
(b)for any reference to the Act of 1947 there shall be substituted a reference to the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, 1947; and for any reference to any Part or section of the Act of 1947 specified in the first column of the following table there shall be substituted a reference to the Part or section of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, 1947, specified in relation thereto in the second column of that table:—
| Part or section of Act of 1947 | Part or section of Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, 1947 |
|---|---|
| Part III | Part II |
| Section twelve | Section ten |
| Section thirteen | Section eleven |
| Section sixteen | Section fourteen |
| Section twenty-three | Section twenty-one |
| Section twenty-six | Section twenty-four |
(c)for any reference, in relation to any land, to a magistrates' court acting for the petty sessions area in which the land is situated there shall be substituted a reference to the sheriff having jurisdiction in the place where the land is situated ;
(d)any reference in subsection (3) of section one, or in section twelve, of this Act to a licence in relation to land (except in the expression " site licence ") shall be construed as a reference to a grant of any right or permission relating to the land but not amounting to an estate or interest therein ;
(e)in section nine, for subsection (2) there shall be substituted the following subsections:—
“(2)Where a person convicted under this section for failing to comply with a condition attached to a site licence has on two or more previous occasions been convicted thereunder for failing to comply with a condition attached to that licence, the court before whom he is convicted may, if the court thinks fit, make an order for the revocation of the said site licence.
(2A)The holder of a site licence in respect of which an order is made under the last foregoing subsection may, without prejudice to any other form of appeal under any rule of law, appeal against the order in the same manner as against a conviction; and an order so made shall not come into force—
(a)until the expiration of the period of fourteen days commencing with the date on which the order was made or such longer or extended period so commencing as may be specified by the court either in the said order or subsequently from time to time on application in that behalf by the holder of the site licence ; nor
(b)if an appeal against the order or the conviction which gave rise thereto is duly taken within the said period of fourteen days or, as the case may be, any longer or extended period specified under the foregoing paragraph, until the date when that appeal is determined or abandoned or deemed to have been abandoned.”
and, in subsection (3), for the reference to a simple contract debt there shall be substituted a reference to a civil debt;
(f)in section sixteen, in subsection (1), paragraph (c) shall be omitted;
(g)in section seventeen, in subsection (2), for the references to sections thirty-six and thirty-seven of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1959, there shall be substituted references respectively to sections thirty-five and thirty-six of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, 1959;
(h)in section twenty-four—
(i)in subsection (1), the words " within their area " shall be omitted;
(ii)in subsection (6), for the reference to the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) Act, 1946, there shall be substituted a reference to the Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act, 1947; and
(iii)in subsection (8) for the words from " the council of a county " to the end of the subsection there shall be substituted the words " a district council within the meaning of section thirty-nine of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1947 ";
(i)in section twenty-six, any reference to a justice of the peace shall be construed as including a reference to a sheriff;
(j)in section twenty-seven in subsection (2), the words " and with the council of any county" shall be omitted;
(k)in section twenty-nine—
(i)in subsection (1), for the definition of " local authority " there shall be substituted the following definition:—
“' local authority ' means, in relation to a burgh, the town council and, in relation to a county (exclusive of any burgh situated therein), the county council;”
and the definition of " the Minister" shall be omitted;
(ii)subsection (5) shall be omitted ;
(l)the following sections shall be omitted, that is to say, section twenty-three, section thirty and section thirty-one.
(2)On any appeal to the sheriff under section seven or section eight of this Act as modified by this section—
(a)the procedure (including rules as to expenses) shall be such as the Court of Session may by act of sederunt determine; and
(b)the decision of the sheriff shall be binding on all parties and shall be final:
Provided that the sheriff may at any stage of the proceedings on the appeal, and shall if so directed by the Court of Session, state a case for the decision of that Court on any question of law arising in connection with the appeal; and an appeal to the House of Lords shall he, with the leave of the Court of Session or of the House of Lords, from any such decision of the Court of Session, which leave may be given on such terms as to costs or otherwise as the Court of Session or the House of Lords may determine.
(3)Any reference in subsection (2) of section seven, or subsection (3) of section eight, of this Act to the period during which an appeal is pending shall include a reference to any period during which, by virtue of the proviso to the last foregoing subsection, any proceedings following on that appeal may be taken or are pending.
(4)The power of the Court of Session to make acts of sederunt under subsection (2) of this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument, and the Statutory Instruments Act, 1946, shall apply to a statutory instrument containing an act of sederunt so made by the Court in like manner as if the act of sederunt had been made by a Minister of the Crown.
(5)Expenditure incurred by a district council in Scotland under this Act shall not be taken into account in any calculation as to the limit of one shilling per pound imposed on the district council by section two hundred and twenty-six of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1947.