The trials and tribulations of a start up Park Home Operator

Article

Starting your own park is a huge undertaking and there are many steps and processes.

Let me take you behind the scenes to meet one of our members. Let me call him Kevin Matthews. Kevin and his family own a plot of land which they have decided to develop. This is not the simplest of plans because different members of the family have different ideas about the best way to go forward.

It is a long-drawn-out process because Kevin wants to create a holiday park, another family member feels that a residential park would be better and yet another says they should just put-up houses and sell them. It is decided in the long run that they will go with a holiday park due to the stunning location of the land.

Again, though the decision is not easy. Should they create a camping or glamping site? Should they put on mobile
homes? Or perhaps they should go with lodge homes.

Kevin’s mind swings back and forth. A camping and glamping site would be cheaper to establish but then they would have to advertise continuously and there is a possibility that the plots could stand empty for long periods. Mobile homes could also be rented out or they could sell them to owners and charge an annual fee for the site.

The same goes for lodges but they are more expensive to purchase meaning this is still a more expensive option.
With the more expensive upfront costs though come various perks and a somewhat larger profit. It was eventually decided that the lodge homes would sit better in the plot and so this is they way they decided to go.

Having decided that they would like to create a lodge park they now had to obtain permissions. This is a long process involving a bunch of forms all including Lodge Park Planning Permission. They also had to consult a number of bodies to ensure that they would be operating inside the law.

They needed to plan well in order to use the land to best effect and still obey all of the rules regarding spacing to obey fire regulations etc., but they eventually had a plan and were all set to make the application.

Getting the permission is not guaranteed so Kevin and his family were left on tenterhooks waiting for it to be approved. Eventually, they received permission for 20 lodge parks.

Great. All they need to do now is put them up, right? Well not really. There is still an option to build in stages. They would need to keep the units close together as a phase one development.

Sadly for Kevin, he doesn’t yet have a certificate of lawful use. Perhaps you might have a piece of land which does though. A Certificate of Lawful Use is the holy grail of parks permissions. If you have a plot which has had a caravan where someone has lived in for at least ten years, it is likely that you would be granted a Certificate of Lawful use.

Back to Kevin’s land though, he needs to get services brought in. Again, what is the best option? Obviously, he must bring in water and electric, however, what about broadband? Should the site be futureproofed? Kevin believes they should but there is a large cost implication and other members of the family feel that it is not worthwhile. After all don’t people go on holiday for peace and quiet. Kevin believes that kids who are used to easy access to the internet are not likely to provide much peace if they cannot get on!

And what about gas. Many parks are on mains gas while others use bottled gas. How long is gas going to be used though? Kevin has heard that people are moving away from gas and that it might be turned off.

Another thing that they also consider is installing charging points for electric cars. There is talk of petrol being phased out and this being the case then charging points will become more and more important. There is also the question of whether to have a parking area for them or whether to place one by each home as it is sited.

Creating a site is a labour of love and requires a lot of personal sacrifice. Is it worth it? Well, it is currently one of the fastest growing industries in the UK at the moment so there is certainly a business opportunity. The question is whether you are willing to go through the process.

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