A bid to secure a certificate of lawful development for a caravan site in rural Pembrokeshire has been refused.
Tony Powell, represented by Willis & Co (Town Planning) Ltd, applied to Pembrokeshire County Council for Castell Conin Campsite, near Clynderwen, seeking recognition that the site had operated lawfully as a touring caravan and campsite for more than ten years.
According to the officer report, the application aimed to establish the use of the land as lawful under the ten-year rule, which grants immunity from enforcement if a development or use has been continuous and without interruption for a decade.
The report stated: “This application seeks a Certificate of Lawful Development (LDC) for the use of the land as a touring caravan / campsite, for which the use of the land began more than ten years before the date of this application.”
A similar application was refused in 2024, according to Nation.Cymru.
The latest officer report highlighted that while the site has held certification through the Camping and Caravanning Club, allowing five touring caravans or motorhomes and up to ten tents, the legal threshold for continuous use outside of those permissions had not been met.
It noted: “It is apparent from the Camping and Caravanning Club website that the site still benefits from a Certificate obtained from the Camping and Caravanning Club. Therefore, enabling it to operate as a certified site for five touring caravans/motor homes and up to 10 tents. It is evident that a change of use of the land has occurred since March 29, 2013.”
The report added that while there had been breaches of the certification conditions, these were temporary and did not amount to continuous use over ten years.
“As touring caravans are a use of land rather than operational development, the ten-year immunity rule applies. In order to plead this ground successfully it is necessary for the applicant to show that, on the balance of probability, the use has been operated continuously in breach of the Certification and subsequent permitted development rights for a period of ten years before the date of the application for the certificate,” the report stated.
The decision concluded: “Based on the evidence available, it has not been demonstrated on the balance of probability that an unauthorised change of use, has existed for a ‘continuous’ period in excess of ten years prior to the date of submission of this application.”
For holiday park and campsite operators, the case highlights the importance of maintaining thorough, long-term records of site use when pursuing certificates of lawful development.
Local authority decisions on such applications often hinge on the ability to prove uninterrupted activity over a decade.
Without clear documentation, operators may find themselves limited to existing exemptions, such as club certifications, rather than achieving broader legal recognition.