CL Closures
does anybody know how many CL close each year and how many new one's join up, the thought I had was if I left CC (if I ran a CL that is) how much would I save by not going under the CC umbrella and going alone.
Comments
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I’ve no idea about numbers but, if you have back copies of the magazine, I think they are listed in there. I think the overall number is declining, so more leave than join. I don’t think you have to be a CC member to run a CL and I don’t think CL owners
pay the Club anything. If you set up outside the CC umbrella, you’d need planning permission but you’d be able to host more than five units a night.0 -
Until you get set up on your all hardstanding ehu Site (cl/cs,is cc/ccc without the umbrella of either club with the need to get permission first could be a problem and then who would know about you
Write your comments here...the reason I was asking is that a CL that I will using in July has done just that, and he will be saving money, also he can take non members and there are a few of them around, has he see's it win win, how many have gone the Same
route, there seem to be more closures than new in the mag, so the question is how many use cc to get up and running then go it alone.0 -
Until you get set up on your all hardstanding ehu Site (cl/cs,is cc/ccc without the umbrella of either club with the need to get permission first could be a problem and then who would know about you
Write your comments here...the reason I was asking is that a CL that I will using in July has done just that, and he will be saving money, also he can take non members and there are a few of them around, has he see's it win win, how many have gone the Same route, there seem to be more closures than new in the mag, so the question is how many use cc to get up and running then go it alone.
...He must have got planning permision from local council as before that his cl would have been covered by the cc certificate
ps ,there have been some AS sites that tried that but i notice the names are back under the cc banner
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Whichever way it is sliced the CL network is shrinking inexorably. 4 new CLs this month with 12 closures. That sort of ratio has been a pattern over much of the past two or three years.
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It does seem a shame that the number of CLs is dwindling.
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We stayed on a brand new private site last year. Smashing place, with 12 van/MH pitches, and a separate area for another 12 tents. We had a nice chat with the owners, and they looked at the option of going via a Club, or via Local Authority. They went LA route, but had to jump through a lot of hoops and commit a lot of capital to doing certain things, such as putting in road surfaces Etc..... The impression we got was that setting up via a Club (CC or CandCC) was easier initially, but limited in pitch numbers, but would give a good grounding into what to expect.
We have also stayed on at least three ex CLs that have gone it alone after an initial period with the CC. They now offer more pitches, but have very good standards probably gained under the CC umbrella.
In terms of why are more CLs closing then being set up? Well from a personal perspective, I think that this is down to the changing requirements of the vast majority of members. Gone are the days when a nice field, a tap, a CDP point and a dustbin meant a glorious chance for a cut price stay in a lovely area, making the most of whatever facilities you had paid for in your van. Nowadays, more and more people want/expect CLs to provide HS, EHU, Toilets, showers, service pitches, wifi, an approach road smooth as glass, etc... A lot of CL owners in the past ran a CL as something extra to their core business, say farming, but now they are a business enterprise in their own right, one that requires significant expenditure to satisfy today's fickle visitor.
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If you look under the CL section in UK holidays all the details and regulations about setting up a CL are there (the main advantage is no planning or licence needed for just 5 vans.) I would imagine we lose quite a few CLs when they change hands, buyers
of a property may not want to run a CL. I haven't got the December CC magazine but are the reasons for closure still given? I think, in an abbreviated form, they used to be.0 -
Yes, I think you are right with that reason as well Brue, and of course some CL owners have passed away and family don't want to take the CL on. One of our favourites closed a couple of years ago due to the smashing elderly owner finally passing away in
his 90's. A lovely basic CL, and a nice gent. We don't have miss it, was one of our regular stays!
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Most ex Cls have become commercial.Its very easy to get the planning requirement once you have been a CL. Ironically you can show that overcrowding ( ie more than 5 vans) has been Ok in the past and a sure way to get more pitches through planning. Its the
only way to justify the capital expense of EHU, hard standing etc.0 -
If you look under the CL section in UK holidays all the details and regulations about setting up a CL are there (the main advantage is no planning or licence needed for just 5 vans.) I would imagine we lose quite a few CLs when they change hands, buyers
of a property may not want to run a CL. I haven't got the December CC magazine but are the reasons for closure still given? I think, in an abbreviated form, they used to be.No they don't, brue, and they haven't done so for well over a year now. I think that the majority that have closed innthe last couple of years are the oes with the very basic of facilities. I'll hava a check through my site directory and should be able
to come up with a reasonable picture of those that have left in the last 12 mths or so, as I alway mark off those that are no longer available, as indicated in the Club's magazine..0 -
I've just gone thro' my 2015/16 Site Directory, where I mark off all closures as printed in the Club's magazine. From a total of 2410 CLs listed at publication, up to Dec 2015 I find that there has been 95 closures of which 60 were of sites
with EHU. There has also been 65 new CLs introduced into the network. This difference is a lot closer than many seemed to imagine, including myself.0 -
Very interesting figures, nth. The number of CLs with EHU seems to be 1852, out of 2357 (around ¾). As a slightly larger ratio of EHU sites have dropped out, that might support the notion that some have moved on to ‘greater things’ rather than ceased operation
altogether. Conversely, if more were dropping out because of a drift away from the use of non-EHU sites, you’d expect a larger proportion of non-EHU CLs to be leaving, but they’re not. We can only make assumptions if the Club does not provide otherwise.It’s comforting to note that the decline in CL numbers is less than a drip, and not a flood.
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Very interesting figures, nth. The number of CLs with EHU seems to be 1852, out of 2357 (around ¾). As a slightly larger ratio of EHU sites have dropped out, that might support the notion that some have moved on to ‘greater things’ rather than ceased operation
altogether. Conversely, if more were dropping out because of a drift away from the use of non-EHU sites, you’d expect a larger proportion of non-EHU CLs to be leaving, but they’re not. We can only make assumptions if the Club does not provide otherwise.It’s comforting to note that the decline in CL numbers is less than a drip, and not a flood.
That's the same conclusion I came to rogher. It would be interesting to see the reasons for those leaving the network, as they used to do.
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Agree Nellie, we were always interested in what happened to CLs no longer available.
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does anybody know how many CL close each year and how many new one's join up, the thought I had was if I left CC (if I ran a CL that is) how much would I save by not going under the CC umbrella and going alone.
The Caravan Club use to publish this information in the club magazine and at one time the abreviated reason for a CL closing, for some period I recall more CL's closing that new one starting.
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There are many reasons a CL might close as you will know.
But also in the last few years CL's now have to produce electrical safety certificates and public liability insurance certificates also if you have a water bore hole this has to have proof of being tested. These certificates have to be sent to the caravan club and if not the caravan club will not produce a new certificate, they will send you a reminder and chase you up on the phone and give you a short and fair period to produce the certificate and if they do not receive them you will be removed right away from the online caravan club cl area after a warning.
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The Club really needs to do more advertising of CL' s which would make the job more worthwhile. Our only source of advertising as we are limited to Club members only is the Club magazine, and in all its pages and articles only 3 CL's get a mention each month
, yet Club sites get loads of mention and included in every article written in the magazine defining the nearest campsite. If no Club sites exist in an area you will be very lucky to see a mention of attractions in that area, yet there will be CL's near at
hand. The only extra advertising of CL's is when the winners are announced of CL's of the year and I believe that is only a handful of votes for each winner.David www.perthshirecl.co.uk
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I think your right David. Last year the mag had an article about Norfolk and the Broads and the only sites mentioned were club sites, yet like most areas we have dozens of lovely CL. They could highlight a couple along with the club sites for the area
they are exploring(?)Owners could also help themselves by putting pictures on the web or develop a small webpage for their site
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Perhaps the Club needs to be more acommadating with CL owners, without them, the Club would be a hollow shell. And hardly worth the membership fees.
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The Club really needs to do more advertising of CL' s which would make the job more worthwhile. Our only source of advertising as we are limited to Club members only is the Club magazine, and in all its pages and articles only 3 CL's get a mention each month
, yet Club sites get loads of mention and included in every article written in the magazine defining the nearest campsite. If no Club sites exist in an area you will be very lucky to see a mention of attractions in that area, yet there will be CL's near at
hand. The only extra advertising of CL's is when the winners are announced of CL's of the year and I believe that is only a handful of votes for each winner.David www.perthshirecl.co.uk
Totally agree. It would make more worthwhile reading than the articles on club sites that sometimes make me wonder how long the writer was in the area before writing it up. We once met a regular writer of caravan club articles on site one evening. He arrived
about six o'clock and was off next morning yet there was at least half a page on the site and the area in a future article. I would be far more interested in articles about the CLs in various areas.0 -
as a postscript with CL's I wouldn't bother with club membership
Sorry Oneputt, can't quite grasp what you are saying.....
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You may wish to take a look here; http://www.acceo.co.uk/
& here www.harrogate.gov.uk/Documents/Caravan exemption certificate..
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You may wish to take a look here; http://www.acceo.co.uk/
& here www.harrogate.gov.uk/Documents/Caravan exemption certificate..
also here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/8-9/62
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as a postscript with CL's I wouldn't bother with club membership
Sorry Oneputt, can't quite grasp what you are saying.....
Write your comments here... I think he meant 'without' CLs he wouldn't bother with CC membership. Certainly we would not as they are our preferred choice.
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I thought that but didn't want to be presumptuous
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