A friend is thinking about opening a CL .....

[Puddleduck]

One of our neighbours is pretty keen on opening a CL, just off the A697 near Greenlaw, Scottish Borders so would be handy for people traveling to or from Scotland and it's an easy ride up to Edinburgh except there is no public transport.

We've told him that he would need to provide drinking water, black waste disposal and household waste facilities. None of this is an issue for him as the drainage is already on site as is water. He was talking about loos and showers but I have suggested that just makes work and isn't necessary if he specifies self contained units only. He also has electric available and it won't take much to hook up a few EHUs.

Can anyone think of things i have forgotten? The field is about an acre all told.

 

[eddie]

One of our neighbours is pretty keen on opening a CL, just off the A697 near Greenlaw, Scottish Borders so would be handy for people traveling to or from Scotland and it's an easy ride up to Edinburgh except there is no public transport.

We've told him that he would need to provide drinking water, black waste disposal and household waste facilities. None of this is an issue for him as the drainage is already on site as is water. He was talking about loos and showers but I have suggested that just makes work and isn't necessary if he specifies self contained units only. He also has electric available and it won't take much to hook up a few EHUs.

Can anyone think of things i have forgotten? The field is about an acre all told.

It will take much to hook up a few EHU's and they will have to be professionally tested and certified and will have to be tested annually

And then listen to people drip that they are actually expected to "pay for electricity?"

 

[davidbaldam]

Hard standing is handy.

 

[Jim]

We can exempt them from planning and they will be able to accept members from any club

 

[Reallyretired]

I'd not bother with ehu. Expensive to install and maintain and not something everyone wants (or wants to pay for). Basic CLs without ehu are hard to find these days.

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[Hellski]

Apologies if your friend already has a copy

 

[Puddleduck]

It will take much to hook up a few EHU's and they will have to be professionally tested and certified and will have to be tested annually

And then listen to people drip that they are actually expected to "pay for electricity?"

The install and testing isn't an issue as he's in the building trade. The proposed site is on part of the additional land he had to buy as part of the building plot where he is building his own house. He only wanted the building plot but it all got quite complex with legals and planning and other ownship issues so he ended up with a lot more land than he first intended. At least he has easy access to his extra land - our "extra" doesn't have vehicle access at all.

Hard standing is handy.

Again not an issue as there is hard standing on part of the site already and the landscape people / ground workers will be there before the winter sets in. We are hoping they will come and do our bit first before the field gets planted up and the access closes off again.

 

[Puddleduck]

Apologies if your friend already has a copy

Printed and I will take to him just n case he doesn't have a copy.

 

[denisejoe]

We prefer places without EHU and they are getting harder and harder to find. We don't need hook up and object to having to pay for it.

 

[Lanerboy]

Personally i am notbothered about hook up or hard standing but if there was a choice between 2 cl sites close to each other one had ehu and hard standing and one had a nice CLEAN toilet only i would opt for the one with the toilet, i just like to take my morning ritual on a flushing loo

If i ever had a cl site a loo would be my priority to supply 1st

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[Reallyretired]

We prefer places without EHU and they are getting harder and harder to find. We don't need hook up and object to having to pay for it.

Years back almost all CLs had just the basics and charged a reasonable rate. Then the owners started putting in hookups and increasing rates accordingly. Now some even have toilets/showers, with another hefty increase in fees and as a result are nearly as bad as staying on a site.
A basic CL is really just like an aire and some were in good positions, the move to turn them into mini sites just reduces choice. Profitable they probably were not, though the upkeep on a basic site was minimal (just cut grass though some I knew in the past just let sheep on them sometimes). The ones with the facilities are probably even less profitable if anything as they are still restricted to a max of 5 units and a lot of the time may have none at all.

 

[Reallyretired]

Personally i am notbothered about hook up or hard standing but if there was a choice between 2 cl sites close to each other one had ehu and hard standing and one had a nice CLEAN toilet only i would opt for the one with the toilet, i just like to take my morning ritual on a flushing loo

If i ever had a cl site a loo would be my priority to supply 1st

We sometimes stay on sites (abroad) but don't use the toilets/showers and especially not with Covid about. Just as well we are all different.

 

[Robert Clark]

I wouldn’t go to the expense of hook up
Could take many years to recover the cost

 

[tacr2man]

Surely if you dont want ehu you dont plug in ?

 

[g3cwi]

We are far more likely to use a site with EHU. It’s perfectly possible to have EHU and non EHU pitches on a site and charge differently.

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[Debs]

I think as long as its in the right location there will be plenty of take up, even with just the basics.

 

[TCG]

We regularly use CL’s and notice a lot now have chargeable EHU which is paid by card or tokens... seems the best way to me, gives you the choice and you pay accordingly

 

[Reallyretired]

Surely if you dont want ehu you dont plug in ?

Fine as long as they are not charging for it. In most cases you will pay the same even if you don't use it.

 

[TerryL]

We regularly use CL’s and notice a lot now have chargeable EHU which is paid by card or tokens... seems the best way to me, gives you the choice and you pay accordingly

But aren't those limited to how much they can charge over and above the suppliers rate? I'd think it would take even longer to recoup the costs.

From it's position I would guess it would be more popular with "transit" folk than "stayers". As such surely even the most basic motorhome/campervan is self-sufficient enough for one or two nights. Okay maybe a (nice) toilet cubicle for those who only have the porta potty type. No matter how "easy" it is to put the extras in, don't.

We actively look for CL's etc with minimum facilities, i.e. somewhere to empty the loo and refill the water tank, anything else isn't necessary. Usually cheaper (although if I need facilities I don't mind paying for them) and they're usually quieter too.

Can't help feeling that if folk were encouraged to accept minimum facilities there would be a lot more of them. I often look at local fields that are not being actively farmed and think of the possibilities.

 

[Lenny HB]

We don't very often do anything in the UK but CL's & CS's that are just a field with a tap & dump are much more appealing. Hate having to pay for facilities we don't need.

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[Stacetop]

We prefer cheaper CL’s not bothered about electric really. Hard standing is good.

 

[Lenny HB]

Wrong thread

 

[Lenny HB]

MH 55 FUN
I take it you read it before I deleted it.

 

[Kannon Fodda]

I'd start with just the basics - access from roads (remember that many heavyish vehicles through an unmade or grass drive could soon churn that up and make a mess so that may need improvement first), good firm level ground for the pitch, water supply, dump point, and refuse. Even just providing water, dump and refuse could incur commercial charges to the site owner. That way initial cost setups are affordable whilst you establish if there is demand for the site in the location. Later you can add other amenities such as toilet, EHU, hardstandings, if the market shows there is a desire for them, and you want to operate a longer season.

Remember that you may avoid planning consent by getting a licence such as that offered through Jim. But that is for a very limited number of campers. Increase the number, or start making permanent landscaping changes like hardstandings may well be considered development work that does need planning approval on top of the licence.

 

[Garfields]

Hard standing is a must
Without it you are limiting the amount of time the site is usable
Sooner or later someone will get bogged down.
EHU depends on the folk they are wanting to attract
Caravans tend to stay longer and using site to tour area probably more likely to want EHU
Site near Smailhome often has caravans there in the winter

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[suavecarve]

If they really want to make it a "Go to" site, I would suggest hedged areas offering an amount of privacy and a picnic table for each spot.
I really dont use the picnic tables, but the photos make them look so much nicer and enticing to attend when it looks like youre getting your own piece of Scotland to rent and checking against others

 

[Odd-no-more]

We prefer places without EHU and they are getting harder and harder to find. We don't need hook up and object to having to pay for it.

I sort of agree, but in Scotland in late autumn solar may be not enough for some vans

 

[Kelsae2]

Jim I have a friend who is thinking of doing the same at Jedburgh and was going to contact yourself to check if you would exempt them.
She might already have contacted you.
Charlie.

 

[Puddleduck]

I'd start with just the basics - access from roads (remember that many heavyish vehicles through an unmade or grass drive could soon churn that up and make a mess so that may need improve ment first), good firm level ground for the pitch, water supply, dump point, and refuse. Even just providing water, dump and refuse could incur commercial charges to the site owner. That way initial cost setups are affordable whilst you establish if there is demand for the site in the location. Later you can add other amenities such as toilet, EHU, hardstandings, if the market shows there is a desire for them, and you want to operate a longer season.

That is my suggestion also Start basic and add as and when affordable / necessary.

I would also suggest no EHU to start with but offer battery charging or even generator hire

The proposed site already has boundary hedges - I am not sure he would want to add further hedging at the moment but the picnic tables are a good idea and don't cost much.

 

[Jim]

but the picnic tables are a good idea and don't cost much.

5 picnic tables will likely cost at least 1 years profit

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