Cheshire West & Chester Council carries out review safety of caravan sites

Jun 30 2009 by Allison Dickinson, Chester Chronicle

CHESHIRE West and Chester Council is undertaking a comprehensive review of the safety standards on all park home and caravan sites across the borough.

There are more than 50 such sites in the area and all of them, whether residential, recreational, touring or Traveller sites need a council licence. All licences will be reviewed in forthcoming months after consultation with site owners, licence holders and residents’ groups about the proposed new standards.

For new sites they also introduce conditions to make sure on site facilities such as amenity blocks are accessible to people with disabilities.

Councillor Lynn Riley, executive member for Area and Community said: “A surprisingly large proportion of our residents live either permanently or temporarily in park homes or on caravan sites and it is essential that they can do so safely and be confident that the council will look after their interests.”

One of the first sites to be inspected under the new procedures and standards is Cheshire Park Homes at Dunham on the Hill, where concerns have been expressed by the residents about safety issues and their rights.

Ward councillor Eleanor Johnson said: “I welcome the inspection that took place recently and the report that has come out of that visit.

“I have had concerns for some time with various issues on the site, and hope that the new approach taken by Cheshire West and Chester will be able to solve most of the problems.”

If you have any queries or concerns about safety on park home or caravan sites please contact Rupert Adams, Regulatory Services Manager, Cheshire West and Chester Council on 01606 867857 or by email: rupert.adams@cheshirewestandchestercouncil.gov.uk