A request to confirm a change in the type of caravans used at Park Farm Holiday Park in Manorbier, Pembrokeshire, without requiring formal planning permission has been refused by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.
The application was submitted by Norfolk-based Park Farm Opco Ltd, through agent Laister Planning Limited of Chipping Norton. It sought a Lawful Development Certificate to confirm that static caravans could be placed in areas currently used for touring caravans, on a year-round basis, at Park Farm Holiday Park.
The site has a long planning history. Planning permission for use as a caravan site was originally granted in 1956 on a temporary basis. In December 1998, a Lawful Development Certificate was issued confirming an existing use for up to 70 static caravans, primarily in one part of the site.
More recently, in 2024, the lawful use of the site was described as: “use as a campsite for touring caravans (not including twin-unit static caravans) and tents which shall be occupied for holiday use only and used as temporary, non-permanent units on a year-round basis”.
According to the Western Telegraph, Park Farm Holiday Park is divided into two main areas. Area A contains around 61 owner-occupied static caravans, while Area B is used for touring caravan pitches and tents.
In its supporting statement, the applicant said: “The purpose of this application is to confirm that the touring caravans so permitted for year-round occupation on the western field at Park Farm, are capable of being replaced by static caravan pitches without effecting a material change of use. There is no specific number of touring or static caravans which is being sought at this juncture.”
It added: “The site is currently used for the stationing of touring caravans all year round. Most of the caravans on the site are stationed on what is called a ‘seasonal’ basis, where the owners leave them permanently stationed on the site and use them as holiday homes, paying an annual ‘seasonal’ fee.
“The proposed use of the site is to replace the permanently stationed touring caravans with permanently stationed static caravans. No specific number is provided, as no number is provided in any of the existing certificates, but it is anticipated that the total number of caravans in the application site will inevitably be reduced as the caravans are generally larger.
“There would be no other change in the way the site is operated, and the intention is to use the caravans for holiday purposes.”
However, an officer report concluded that the evidence provided was not sufficient to establish the proposal as lawful. While acknowledging previous certificates relating to touring caravans, the report stated that replacing touring units with single-unit static caravans would not fall within the same lawful use. It also found that the change would alter the character of the site to a degree that would constitute a material change of use requiring planning permission.
The application was therefore refused on the basis that the proposed change would require formal planning consent, with no existing permitted development rights allowing it.
For operators in the outdoor hospitality sector, the decision highlights the distinction planning authorities may draw between touring and static accommodation, even where both are used for holiday purposes and year-round occupation has previously been established.
It also underscores the importance of lawful development certificates being limited to specific uses, and not automatically transferable when the operational model of a site changes.