Motorhomes on club sites
just read this months magazine. One article is how to park on your pitch - plenty of instructions for how to park a caravan & car not one shows how a motorhome is expected to park. Are we still supposed to park in the white peg as per a caravan & car combination, thereby only being able to use 2/3rds of the pitch we have paid for?? Surely things should be changing after all the hype about the Club's name change. Really wishing now I hadn't just renewed my membership!
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I do not mean identifying the type of pitch - just that a caravan is shown parking with a car on one side and an awning in the other so that all three things will fit in the pitch or with a caravan parked with a car in one side. There is no drawing showing how a motorhome should park as the majority of motorhomes are not accompanied by a car! So we have to park in the centre of the pitch on the peg meaning that the area allowed for a tow car is empty and not usable.
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the rule is that there should be 6m between adjacent walls of the main unit, either a caravan or motor home, so yes you will have to pitch in the centre and 'waste' two thirds of your pitch.
If I don't put up an awning then I don't complain about wasting a third of my pitch that I've paid for.
Good news is though that you are not forced to use a club site with these fire safety regulations. Or even better book an non awning pitch and you'll only waste a third! You'll be quids in saving all that waste
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"Really wishing now I hadn't just renewed my membership!"
Perhaps you are not the only one there!
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Is it just me , just recently we seem to be having considerable more posts on the correct pitching procedure .
With this post someone who's not a new member should have some prior knowledge of how to pitch up surely they have used a CMC site before ! ! .......or am I just wasting my time on a subject we all should know as members is for our own safety & others 😇
Thanks & pitch safely.......👍
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interesting that there must be a 6m gap between adjacent 'units' (caravan or MH) yet it is deemed that other (equally?) flammable items like awnings and cars full of fuel, need only be 3m from each other.
does anyone know why this is?
two caravans with adjacent awnings need only to have 3m between them (guy ropes nearly touching?) yet a MH or caravan is not allowed to be this close to an awning.
what are the differences in flammability ratings between caravans, cars and awnings which determine (presumably) the spacing distances?
perhaps if this were made clear, spacing might be easier to understand rather than just being another arbitrary rule.
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I understand from long ago when it was 20 feet that it was about which units people slept in and not what they were made of. Perhaps more people are sleeping in awnings now? That woud meant, to you or I, that the spacing should be increased. However, The Caravan Club answer will be to ban the use of awnings for sleeping - if they havn't done so already!
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But with respect BB it has been made clear many times and it is not another arbitrary rule that has been drawn up by the club.
If you check out this document from the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, (reviewed 2016)
You will find it clearly states:
Introduction
This leaflet is for prospective/current Caravan Site owners and provides guidance on the standards that are considered appropriate in respect to fire safety on Residential, Holiday and Touring Caravan Sites.
The information aims to set general principles and to provide the reader with information as to which approved document or technical standard is considered by this Authority to be appropriate.
Information
Model Standards, on which this note is based, are specified by the Secretary of State under section 5 of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. The Standards are not statutory, but represent what should normally to be expected as a matter of good practice. A local authority, in deciding what conditions to attach to a site licence, is required by the Act to have regard to the specified Standard. However, no condition of license may be specified that relates to any matter in relation to which requirements or prohibitions are, or could be, made by or under, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
and for touring caravans it clearly states:
A minimum distance of 6 metres should be maintained between other units in separate family occupation, and not less than 3 metres between units in any circumstances. Vehicles and ancillary equipment is permitted within the 6 metres space but 3 metres clear space should always be maintained to restrict fire spread.
I have no idea about flammability ratings between caravans, cars and awnings but I would suggest that they do?
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I understand all these regulations and always pitch exactly on the peg when on CC sites. What I don't understand is that it's okay to be only 3 metres away from the 'van in front or behind you. We have been only 3m away from the van in front and less than 3m away from a 'van behind at the other side of a hedge many times. Flames will spread just the same backwards or forwards as they do sideways. Why is this?
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If you were less than 3m from another unit then that clearly breaches fire safety 'rules' as given by the club. Again I have no idea why 3m has been set by the fire services to stop the spread of fire, but I hope and would think that they have done their homework on this distance.
I suppose the safest site would only have one caravan on it? The guidelines as set by the fire services are not mandatory or legal and unless you want less pitches on a site, with the greater fees and even less pitches available it's a compromise?
What do people regard as a safe distance?
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I would much prefer to be able to place my motorhome to the left hand side of the pitch as it would give more space on the habitation door side of the van. Unfortunately this would also mean that it would be caravan/awning/car which some seem not to like. The C&CC do it this way but of course their hardstandings are generally only about two thirds of the width of a CMC hardstanding so they allow a greater buffer of grass between pitches.
David
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As a caravanner I detest that arrangement David I have no desire to be cut off from the usual grass strip by my car. Also in hot weather I will move car to door side if it means I can get shade if no other shade available. No longer use an awning
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"interesting that there must be a 6m gap between adjacent 'units' (caravan or MH) yet it is deemed that other (equally?) flammable items like awnings and cars full of fuel, need only be 3m from each other."
I understand this is based on where people sleep, rather than the flamability of items. When it was established it was 20 feet, and people rarely slept in awnings at all.
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so, if people are sleeping in awnings, shouldnt these be kept 6m from other awnings/units rather than the current 3m?
or would this lead to another dramatic reduction in the number of pitches.......?
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Of course it would. So don't make too much noise about it or sleeping in awnings will be banned - if it isn't already!
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One rule for awnings and one rule for tents. Glastonbury - all approved and licensed. It.'s hard to understand.
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Should this thread be merged with the one about motor caravans getting stuck in the mud?
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A minimum distance of 6 metres should be maintained between other units in separate family occupation, and not less than 3 metres between units in any circumstances.
If this is the case why are caravans allowed within inches of each other when in storage?
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i dont know of any rule about sleeping in awnings (an 'expert' will surely be along in a trice to assist) so im sure the club would continue to allow sleeping, but if they did, they may just have to revise spacing to ensure the safety of those who chose to do so.
they have a duty of care, dont they?
oh, just realised, all the pegs would need moving....bu**er!
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those 'rules' are written for caravans on a 'touring' site.
This leaflet is for prospective/current Caravan Site owners and provides guidance on the standards that are considered appropriate in respect to fire safety on Residential, Holiday and Touring Caravan Sites.
It doesn't mention storage sites at all so perhaps there are different rule for storage? Come to think of it what about your local dealer?
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Dealers caravans are unlikely to have gas bottles on board but some stored caravans will Corners.
I don't know how they manage to get insurance cover like some of them do.
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good point about the gas bottles. When collecting my van from a service I notice that all the service vans waiting to be picked up are kept quite close together - I suppose they must have insurance somehow?
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