Caravan spacings on rallies
Please can the Caravan Club give me a definative answer to the Caravan spacing issue. This obviously came to a head at the end of last year so we need to get it right.
As I understand it, there needs to be 6m between walls of outfits (I'm not talking awnings as we are running a new year rally on hard standing). I was also told though that this 6m allows space for a car as long as you maintain 3m between the car and the
next caravan. We however, have the use of a car park so don't need to put cars between outfits. Can we park caravans 3m between walls and the cars elsewhere?
Comments
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Depends if the caravans are parked in neat rows or not.
Some rallies use, if the space and number of vans permits, a circle . The vans are parked nose to tail with a space between. It works better because all units are the same distance from the Flagpole and on-site activities. Nobody is stuck at the back.
It takes intelligence by the rally committee to plan the radius of the circle in advance. --Most of the rallies stick to straight lines with 6 mtrs between units the cars park in this 6 meter gap.
K
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I don't think that I have ever been on a Rally spaced as Kennine suggests. Nothing wrong with it but a bit circled wagons don't you think?
In the real world. The rally I will be spacing tomorrow will be in 2 rows because that is the way the shape of the field allows and how the land owner wants. Committee don't tell me how to peg my rally apart from the 6m requirement.
The incident at new year was tragic, but it sounds to me that the vehicle involved exploded so I am not sure if the spacing was 5.5m or 6.5m in would have made much difference. I also. Believe but not sure that one of the insurance implications was the
proximity to buildings and potential damage to those.0 -
I don't think that I have ever been on a Rally spaced as Kennine suggests. Nothing wrong with it but a bit circled wagons don't you think?
In the real world. The rally I will be spacing tomorrow will be in 2 rows because that is the way the shape of the field allows and how the land owner wants. Committee don't tell me how to peg my rally apart from the 6m requirement.
The incident at new year was tragic, but it sounds to me that the vehicle involved exploded so I am not sure if the spacing was 5.5m or 6.5m in would have made much difference. I also. Believe but not sure that one of the insurance implications was the
proximity to buildings and potential damage to those.Write your comments here...Well Boff, Ive been to two such rallies run by the East Centre many years ago, when it was still one of the top centres in Scotland.---- Long before the rot set in and the centre subsequently died.
Those were great rallies "the circled wagon type" one in West Lothian and one in East lothian. Every attendee felt involved as there was no metaphorical "top table" with the usual "us and them" cliques.
Entirely depends on the number of vans ; the size of the field and the intelligence of the rally committee. But as CC rallying is losing it's appeal and the number of attendees are dwindling, That type of "All Included" pitching by centres might help them
retain active ralliers.One should be positive and never reject new ideas which worked with other centres.
K.
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In the centre to which I belong. Rallies are organised by volunteers, rather than the committe. Therefore new ideas are welcome. It also gives a sense of ownership rather than obligation
Attn T J Dale sorry didnt mean to tell you how to suck eggs!!!
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The simple answer to your question TJD is no you should not park the vans 3m apart just because there are no cars between them. The units need to be spaced 6m apart and 3m from any building.
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I called for coffee at the new Gloucester services on the M5 - motorhomes parked for the night there, some cooking, some watching TV, some already sleeping - all side by side and some only one metre apart. So how is that spacing allowed there and not on
campsites or rally fields?0 -
Are there six metres from vans back to back on club Sites?
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Ask The Warden !! After all they have to measure & enforce it if it looks wrong { I Think
!! }Write your comments here...I've been on sites where there isn't 19 foot from vans back to back. It was a tongue in cheek question. I seem to remember we had this scenario some years ago with less distance and they didn't comply then!
Tom, you need to contact the club directly for a definitive answer. Good luck!
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The chances of getting a definitive answer from the club is slim I'm afraid.
Write your comments here...Did Ro not appoint a number of head office staff to this forum, so that questions by forum members about clarification of head office rules could be quickly answered.
K
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TJDale may I suggest that if your make of caravan owners club or indeed yourself are members of ACCEO then they will be the people to talk to rather than asking on here where there are all kinds of wrong answers being put forward as fact. ACCEO worked closely
with NE and produced a definitive guide.0 -
I called for coffee at the new Gloucester services on the M5 - motorhomes parked for the night there, some cooking, some watching TV, some already sleeping - all side by side and some only one metre apart. So how is that spacing allowed there and not on
campsites or rally fields?The spacing of outfits is as recommended by Natural England which is also the organisation that controls the excemption certidficate that the club holds and under which they run rallies. The club enforces the recommendations within its organisation to ensure
the safety of its members. This has been highlighted recently following the tragedy at a new year rally.0 -
The vans will not be in rows or a circle as they have to fit in different bits of a car park next to a village hall. Can the club please reply to give their answer, I'm not just after peoples personal opinion thanks.
For the definitive answer visit the Natural England website as it is their guidelines that are followed by the club with regard to spacing.
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The vans will not be in rows or a circle as they have to fit in different bits of a car park next to a village hall. Can the club please reply to give their answer, I'm not just after peoples personal opinion thanks.
For the definitive answer visit the Natural England website as it is their guidelines that are followed by the club with regard to spacing.
I am sure that there used to be guidelines on the natural England website. But I can't find them now. I wonder if they have been pulled. If I am looking in the wrong place then I would appreciate a link to them.
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Boff, I haven't checked the Natiural England website but it did used to be there. I'll have another look.
The club has sent guidelines to all the centre committees and regional councils so they will have them. A subset is available on the North Yorkshire Centre website
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3. Pitch Spacing. The Club places great importance on the correct layout of rallies to ensure that safety standards are maintained and that the requirements of the exemption certificate are met. Every effort should be made to keep the density as low
as possible. _ _A minimum spacing between facing walls of adjacent motorhomes and caravans (the unit) of 6 metres is required. There must also be 3 metres clear between outfits, where an outfit is taken to mean and include the unit, an awning, pup tent and
a car. An explanatory diagram is at Annex D. _There must also be __6 metres separation between the facing walls of a caravan or motorhome and a building; however, that 6 metres space could be used for a towing vehicle or awning so long as there is still 3
metres clear space within that 6 metres.__ _ Whilst there is no spacing restriction with regard to rallyfield boundaries, e.g. fences, trees and hedges, the siting of outfits must not be allowed to interfere with the activities of local people, their privacy or enjoyment of their property. For health and safety purposes, emergency vehicles should also
be able to secure access at all times to within 90 metres of any unit on the site. The layout of the rally site and the general appearance of outfits can impact on member satisfaction; moreover, overcrowding and low standards will harm the reputation of The
Club and the Centre.
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Boff, I haven't checked the Natiural England website but it did used to be there. I'll have another look.
The club has sent guidelines to all the centre committees and regional councils so they will have them. A subset is available on the North Yorkshire Centre website
Andy, link activated Hope that's OK.
Dave
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Thanks Dave
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Surely after all this debating is it isn't it ,the spacing of units be it caravans or motorhomes is plainly and simply common sense.
Brian & Jo
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I had never heard of Natural England until I read this thread. Sounds too like it is something to do with nudists.
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The standards for spacing arise from
S5 of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. There are
central government model standards for static sites on the National Archives web site but that appears to be because the legislation changed relatively recently. Model standards for touring sites were published in 1983 so have not been loaded centrally
to the Internet but most councils publish their own versions, e.g. Eden Council on a link from
this page.As the standards are models they can be varied and they do only apply to licensed sites, not to CLs or rallies. Club rules (both CC and other clubs) govern spacing on CLs and rallies but tend to be based on the models in the absence of anything more appropriate.
Spacing (or lack of) at motorway services (and the motorhome "aire" at Canterbury for instance) is legal because the standards are only models, not binding requirements. Having said that, MSAs usually have a ban on the use of gas appliances anyway, especially
in HGV areas where there may be hazardous loads.Graham
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If one unit (wherever sited/parked) starts a fire that spreads to damage other units or property there is a liability on its owner for damages, and also on any person/organisation that has control over how the vehicles were sited/parked. A possible defence
to the latter is that they were arranged in accordance with best practice. Which is the 6m!0
!!
