What is a Certificated Site?
Certificated Sites are small, privately run campsites that can accommodate up to five caravans or motorhomes and 10 tents for up to 28 consecutive days, at any one time. Developing a Certificated Site on your farm can generate additional income and provide great diversification to your land.
Certificated Sites, also known as CSs, are exclusively for members of The Camping and Caravanning Club. It’s completely at your discretion as to what type of site you provide; it can be a basic hideaway or a family-friendly set up with onsite facilities. Your site could be tent-only, caravan-only, or accept all unit types.
The Club holds special exemptions from Natural England which allows us to set up small campsites across the UK. To qualify, you just need to meet our basic requirements - and upon certification you don’t just become a highly valued site owner, you are also registered to sign up new members earning commission and extra income.
What are the basic requirements?
Before setting up a Certificated Site there are a few requirements that you need to meet:
You need to have at least half an acre or more of land available for the site, made up of fairly level land, clearly marked with signs which the Club will provide.
The site requires safe access based on an unrestricted view either side of your entrance and exit point. If the approach road to the site is fairly narrow or single track, there should be enough passing places to ensure safety of all road users. Written agreement must be obtained from all parties who have ownership rights on the access road.
Before a certificate is issued, you need to provide the site with a chemical disposal point for toilets, a rinsing water tap and a drinking water tap with a non-return valve. These need to be signposted, within 100 meters of the camping area and not across any roads.
Campers must have access to dry waste disposal - this can be something as simple as a dustbin.
Public liability insurance covering the use of the land as a campsite.
What costs will I encounter?
All the services that the Club provides from the point of enquiry onwards are free of charge. Our motivation is to provide our members with more unique pitches to camp on.
Set-up costs
A Site Officer will visit your proposed site location and assess the land for its suitability to become a Certificated Site; they will provide you with an understanding of how much your set-up costs are likely to be and what you would need to carry out in advance of the site receiving its certification before work
actually starts on the site.
A recent questionnaire sent out to current Certificated Site owners showed that a large percentage of owners incurred approximately £3,000 for set-up costs; however they also stated that they felt these costs were reasonable.
Maintenance costs
Maintenance costs are costs that will be apparent throughout the running of your site. Some examples are as follows:
Annual water supply testing if it is not mains-supplied.
Annual electric hook-up testing.
Chemical disposal point (CDP) emptying. A recommended 600 gallon tank needs to be emptied once or twice a year depending on occupancy levels.
Other than these costs, you may have some regular duties such as mowing the grass and the odd DIY task that you may be able to do yourself at little or no cost.
What should I charge?
The fees that you charge for your site are at your discretion. The Club can offer guidance based on what surrounding sites of a similar nature are charging, but your fees should be determined by the popularity of the area, the standard of site you are providing, what facilities you have and any local attractions or amenities there might be.
The Club asks that you provide them with the fees you wish to charge for one unit per night, accommodating up to two adults and two children in high season.
Currently, the average cost for a pitch without electric hook-up (on a basic site) is approximately £8 per night and with electric is £12 per night. However, for a site with more facilities and attractions, the pitch fee can be more.
If you’d like more information or to apply to set up a site, visit www.setupasite.co.uk to download our All You Need To Know guide, complete your application form or alternatively you can call one of the Exempted Camping Team at The Camping and Caravanning Club on 024 7767 1164.