Park Homes, Holiday Homes & Caravans - Enforcement of breaches of pp & site - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

CB/Nick One of my Council colleagues would be very interested to speak with you. If at all possible could you contact Adam Gatier on 01242 775179 Many thanks Martin

I have sent Adam an email with several cases. There must be many more heard at Magistrates Courts which are not reported by commercial publishers, and not easy to find if not reported on local authority websites or in the media. In addition, I wish local authorities would undertake a Park Homes Survey like the Teignbridge District Council Park Homes Survey 2010 attached. This is an excellent survey which I sent a copy to my District Councillor and copied it to Environmental Health at my local authority who may pursue it with the county council. Such a survey would uncover quite a lot of issues and maybe even travellers' sites where people are living in slavery as in the recent report of a Police raid of a site in Bedfordshire.

The announcement of DCLG's long awaited consultation coincides with today's meeting of the Communities and Local Government Committee which received oral evidence from Graham Allen MP, Chair, Political and Constitutional Reform Committee, and Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell, Chairman, Local Government Association and Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, Minister for Housing and Local Government, Department for Communities and Local Government: http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/communities-and-local-government-committee/news/park-homes---4th-ev-session/ http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=10611 Here are details of DCLG's consultation which closes on 28th May: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/mobilehomeowners There has not been the opportunity in advance of this consultation for local authority officers to have a forum for debate about which regulations need to be changed to give them the tools to regulate sites of park homes and holiday homes more easily and more effectively. Such a debate would have facilitated a consensus or convergence of opinion in consultation responses which would leave DCLG in no doubt about what tools and powers local authorities actually need. However perhaps you will contact Private Sector Housing Officers, Environmental Health Officers and Planning Officers at district councils within your county or within your unitary authority to ensure a coordinated response to this consultation from authorities in your area. Kind regards CB