Our poor abused CL owners!
I have just returned from a magical few days at one of our favourite CL sites over in North Suffolk and having had a very long chat with the owner, I honestly do wonder what has happened to the once considerate and understanding C&MC members!
Whilst we were there our 3 springer spaniels were kept under very strict control as they always are, however the couple in a caravan opposite to us who had an old border collie as well as a younger semi dock tailed black lab paid not even the slightest regard to the Clubs rules about keeping their dogs under control at all times!
At approx. 0700 hrs. their caravan door would open and both dogs were let out to roam wherever they wanted to throughout the site as well as beyond the surrounding hedges doing heaven knows what and whilst these dogs were out their owners could be seen sat inside their van doing absolutely no kind of dog surveillance or control..... Later on each day, the man could be seen casually walking around attempting to find any of their unwanted deposits and on most occasions without any kind of success!
The owners told me that this year since they were allowed to open their doors, a lot of their visitors had been among the new breed of members of the Club who appeared to pay absolutely ZERO regard to anyone else on the site or indeed offering any kind of consideration for the owners.
Surely, is it acceptable for members to leave broken microwaves dumped by the waste bins on a small 5 pitch CL site, or how about leaving behind a badly stained king sized quilt and cover, full sized but broken Cadac BBQ's, broken lounger chairs etc. etc.
When I originally joined the Club, whenever and wherever possible myself and all members I ever knew used to attempt to leave absolute zero sign that they had been to a CL site, always trying to go out of our way to make the life of the CL owner as easy as possible.
What the hell has happened?
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That site owner needs to take charge and get a grip.
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It is no diferent on both clubs site these days except it is more and that is when staff are around to try to keep an eye on things
the CL owners seems are not around so often but IF another member points "problems?" out to them they can ask the "member?" to leave,
But will then find a really negative review about the site ,as happen s so often on clubs site reviews (it would be nice to hear the other side of the story from site staff )
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+1, it’s down to the owner-these kinds of people are everywhere🤷🏻♂️. All anyone can do is ensure you don’t share their space-that includes CL owners, blackball them & report to others including C&MC. Dogs will do what the owners train them to do☹️
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+ 2. The CL owner needs to lay down his rules and enforce them.
Club site rules apply to club sites and each CL owner can make his own. If no rules are stated then people will do their own thing but, if rules are broken, the CL owner has the remedy in his own hands.
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Millie master you refer to "the new breed of members". Is there such a thing?
There have always been people (including members) who are thoughtless or don't care.
I remember about 20 years ago ( before I was a member) a group of CC members on a Club organized holiday at a site in the Netherlands having a very loud outdoor party which went on until after midnight (even though there were a number of other campers who had settled for sleep in tents nearby). I asked them quietly if they could settle down as it was very late. Despite an assurance that they would as they were due to leave early the next day to travel home they continued to party noisily. It was only after a German lady told them in no uncertain terms that their behaviour was unacceptable that the party ended. That was my first experience of CC members!
A few years ago at Chatsworth Club Site I saw in the loo block a man washing his son's filthy trainers in a handwash basin using one of the J cloths which the Club provided at the time for wiping down the basins. I suggested politely that this was not where he should be cleaning the shoes. He became verbally very aggressive, asking where he was supposed to clean them and then threatened to thump me!
Thankfully in 18 years of membership these are rare incidents although there have always been some people who leave the washing up sinks in disgusting condition with food waste.
Most members, however, seem to be reasonable people. Hopefully this also is true of new members.
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The answer is quite simple - the owners (now friends of ours) who run two sites we use regularly have a book (or in one case a whiteboard in his study) which contains the names of those who won't be welcome again. Whenever they ring up to book a place, they are always full! They'll soon get the message.
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I do wonder if more people have used CLs this year, once sites were able to open. It would be interesting if there were any statistics on this. Maybe members not used to CLs are using them.
Many of the CLs we have visited over the years have had no apparent rules. The beauty of CLs is a more relaxed version of camping than in comercial/club sites.
However, in common with much of society, I do feel there has been an increase in rule breaking (or common sense being left behind). I dont think that a lot of it is necessary maliciuous - just ignorance of unwritten rules.
The answer for CLs, I'm afraid, is a set of written rules. Quite a lot of CLs give out a leaflet when you arrive, about the area etc. Maybe this just has to have a simple set of rules spelt out quite clearly. I know not everyone will abide by them, but it does give owners a bit more scope for pulling up members who dont do what they should.
I think there are some general rules in the handbook, but I bet few read them. Plenty of members dont understand the basis on which CLs exist - Local authority license, not Club owned/run etc.
I do think the Club itself could help by running a couple or articles in the magazine spelling out quite clearly what behaviour is expected - preferably in the early part of next year, before much touring gets under way. And yes, I know lots of people dont read the mag. but plenty do.
Shouldnt necessary, but it is, and I would rather this than lose even more CLs, which, as many have said, are the jewel in the crown.
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Just to advise about your point about LA licence ,if it is a CL or CS then the exemption certificate to operate is issued by the club concerned and not a need for another licence from the LA
If the person who wants to have a cl has a LA licence then a club exemption certificate would not be issued
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"Plenty of members dont understand the basis on which CLs exist - Local authority license, not Club owned/run etc."
I'm afraid you are mistaken. The whole point of the 5 van system is that no licence/planning permission is needed from any local authority.
This club, along with many other organisations, is granted the right to issue exemption certificates for 5 van sites. That is, exempted from the need to obtain any form of local authority permission to operate a 5 van site.
There are many rules that apply to the granting of exemption certificates and you can find it all online.
As an aside, the rules include not exceeding 5 vans and CL owners who flout that rule put the clubs right to issue exemption certificates in jeopardy. In short, no right to issue certificates equals no more CLs.
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As an ex site builder and owner in France, we had a very comprehensive list of every single person who had stopped with us, going back in excess of 10 years.
Any one listed with PITA next to their name, never was allowed to return despite in many cases pleading to do so!!
We also allowed dogs, indeed we were the very first site in Europe to have some fully fenced dog pitches where dogs enclosed in those special pitches need not be on a lead. However at all other places on the site they had to be on a lead and if they weren't then at the 2nd warning they had to leave immediately!
But my OP was primarily about the rubbish these inconsiderate people were leaving which was almost akin to fly-tipping.
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