The current trend of park owners when developing parks is to cram in as many homes as possible within the park boundaries using every available square inch of land. Existing trees, hedges, car parks etc., are removed all to make space for more homes.

Included in the Conditions attached to the issue, by the Local Council, of a Licence to operate a park home site to the park owner, (the  Caravan Sites Control of Development Act 1960/68 which is the Act governing the operation of all park home and holiday sites,) is requirement which states that there should be an area approximately one tenth of the size of the overall park, set aside for the provision of a recreation area.  This requirement has largely been dispensed with by park owners and rarely enforced by Local Councils. Any such remaining recreation areas, previously used by visiting children and residents alike have long since disappeared and are now occupied by homes.

The minimum space between park homes is currently six metres (20 feet) meaning that each home has a maximum plot size of three metres (10 feet) all the way round the home. Should the front, back or either of the sides of the home be adjacent to a park road then this distance could be reduced to as little as two metres (6 feet) at this point.

Included within this tiny plot of land is a car parking space,  possibly for two cars, (one behind the other) two or more sets of steps, necessary for access to the home, a concrete pathway extending all the way round the home at least 2 feet in width, and usually a metal storage shed, an area to accommodate at least one refuse bin, all of which reduce the remaining useable garden area even further. Add to this the fact that most park owners now insist that the park will be “open Plan” . This means that hedges, even small fences between homes are banned. All that occupies the space between homes is a patch of grass with no obvious boundaries denoting the individual plot. You are left with an area of plot with hardly enough room to “swing a cat” and certainly no room for entertaining visiting children.

So then, where on such a park can visiting children play?

(1)…Certainly not on the park roads because…..(a)… It is too dangerous because of traffic. (b)… most parks have contained in their rules that visiting children are not allowed to play on park roads (c)…. they may become a nuisance to other residents and the park owner..

(2)….. Very difficult for them to play anything other than perhaps board games in the garden due to lack of room and the risk of upsetting immediate neighbours.

(3)…. No recreation area, open space, or even a car park available.

Imagine the scenario, You have just retired, sold up the family home and moved into your new park home.  Your family visit bringing the grandchildren or even grandchildren to see their grandma and granddad, perhaps for the day or maybe to stay for a few days during the school holidays or emergencies within the family or friends. It will not be long before the children get bored with family talk and want to go outside and play. How do you tell them that they have to stay in, especially during good weather, because there is nowhere for them to go? Can you really expect them to remain cooped up indoors all day without problems arising?

If you should let them out and they roam the park or attempt to play games outside your home, you run the risk of the park owner banging on your door,  threatening Court Action to terminate your Agreement (contract) claiming that you have breached the clause stating that you must not do anything that causes a nuisance to your neighbours or the park owner, (Now an Implied Term under the 2006 Amendment to the Mobile Homes Act 1983) and/or the Park Rules. The antiquated Victorian rule which stated that “children should be seen but not heard” is alive and well in the park home industry!

To make matters even worse, on many parks, particularly parks with an unscrupulous owner, these restrictions regarding visiting children playing on the park,  do not apply to his own or his visiting children, who are allowed to race around the park day and night, screaming and shouting, playing ball games, riding bicycles on roads, pathways and residents gardens, even driving sometimes heavy machinery of all kinds without any care or consideration whatsoever for the helpless residents. Any resident daring to complain will be met with foul mouthed abuse and threats from the park owner at the very least.

It is not only the park owners who are at fault for the disappearance of this vital amenity on parks. The Local Authority who administer the regulations governing parks must bear some of the responsibility for sanctioning such dense development without ensuring that at least a small area of open space is incorporated into the site development plans. But until the Government place the Local Authority under a duty to enforce Site Licence Conditions instead of,  as at present, only possessing the power, which leaves them to choose whether or not to enforce, then nothing will change and the helpless park homeowner will be left to suffer, as will their visiting children.

As I said at the beginning of this Bulletin, this is a very important factor to be taken into account when considering buying a park home and could well be overlooked.  Imagine how you would feel if your grandchildren became reluctant to visit you saying “ I don’t want to go grandma’s, there is no where to play”!!!!!!    Make sure the park you chose to spend your Autumn years has somewhere safe for the children to play before you buy. It’s too late after!!!!!

Compiled for PHRAA by Ron Joyce. General Secretary.                   July 2007.