Parking motorhome on public land.

[jwong]

I would like to park my vehicle (a 20 foot motorhome) overnight in public places in the UK. One night may be fine but what about several nights consecutively? Further, how would one stand if the motorhome was parked on one's own land which is in a middle of a residential village?

[NOX]

If it's on your own land generally that's fine, I have my Wiinebago parked in my fields all year round when I'm not using it, if it's on someone else's then generally you have to theoretically gain their permission as there are all sorts of byelaws etc, but in practice you can pretty much do as you please as the mechanism to prevent you doing so is so long winded that the event will be over before the steps to prevent you have begun, but it may cause bad feeling.
What exactly are you planning to do, the quesiton is slightly vague.

[buildersmate]

Depends what you mean by a 'public place'. The public highway is normally OK (subject to any local restrictions) but more than 15 yards off the public highway (on common land or on a public bridleway for example) is an offence under various Road Traffic Acts.

[hc4361]

Do you intend sleeping in it whilst it is parked?

[tonywiltshire]

Parking offences are usually contraventions of local orders and these vary from place to place, it may be necessary to examine a local order, copies of which should be found in the local library or police station.

Parking on your own land will probably only be a problem if there are restrictive covenants in place, which ban such an act, I suggest you check.

[Skyline D]

Obviously you can park your own vehicle on your own land without restriction. You cannot live in it (on a permanent basis) though as that has Council Tax ramifications.

[Andy_C]

If you are really just parking then the usual parking regulations applicable in the area will apply. you would need to check local signs and Traffic Regulation Orders.

However, if you are using the motorhome for the purpose of human habitation then additional legislation applies, most notably The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. There is a resume of how this Act applies here: http://www.ukmotorhom...tup.shtml#legislation

[tonywiltshire]

Sky: There may be restrictive covenants in place these are normal where an area has been developed at one time; a very common restrictive covenant is that you are unable to park a caravan or motorhome on your property. The covenant will be registered and it would be wise to check.

[buildersmate]

Such covenants are placed at the behest of the local authority on the developer as one of the conditions to granting planning consent in the first place.
Developers don't (otherwise) have an axe to grind on what the buyer of the property does with it once the developer has got rid of it and left the estate.
The same is true of the often-placed condition that there shall be no fences adjoining the front of the properties to the public highway.