Northern Ireland

Caravan owners gather at Stormont to hand in petition highlighting calls for greater protection

TUV leader Jim Allister speaking as caravan owners yesterday brought their protest to Stormont. Picture by Mal McCann
TUV leader Jim Allister speaking as caravan owners yesterday brought their protest to Stormont. Picture by Mal McCann TUV leader Jim Allister speaking as caravan owners yesterday brought their protest to Stormont. Picture by Mal McCann

CARAVAN owners took to the steps of Stormont yesterday to hand in a petition highlighting calls for greater protection.

Hundreds of caravan owners delivered the petition to TUV leader Jim Allister, who has joined their calls for changes to legislation.

Speaking after handing over the petition to the Assembly, the north Antrim MLA said that the current legislation needs to be reformed.

He said the owners who had come together at Stormont "have grave grievance over the manner of treatment by some, not all, caravan park owners".

"Among the grievances are the fact that they have no security of tenure on a caravan park, they get a licence from year to the next and then at the end of that year they are vulnerable to, as has happened this year in one park, exorbitant demands for increase in pitch fees," he said.

"In one case a 35 per cent increase which is unconscionable and unacceptable and therefore the first thing that caravan owners require on their sites is security of tenure - that is absolutely vital to the going forward in this matter."

Mr Allister also spoke about how caravan owners face issues about the "arbitrary limit on the age of caravans" and then "pressure to purchase new caravans from the park owners".

He also said "this is a timely occasion for these caravan petitioners to make the case that the Caravan Act needs to have root and branch change to give them security of tenure, to give them protection against extortionate treatment and to ensure that going forward they have a situation that is tenable and fair".