Registration process of a motorhome or caravan in Jersey

1240/5(3867)

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR PLANNING AND ENIRONMENT BY DEPUTY S.S.P.A. POWER OF ST. BRELADE

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 13th MAY 2008

Question

"1. Can the Minister confirm that before a motorhome can be registered in the Island, in accordance with the

Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002, a copy of the relevant permit, issued by the Minister for Planning and Environment must be sent to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Department and to the person wishing to register the vehicle or import the vehicle?

2. Can the Minister confirm that once the vehicle is registered, that he can attach any condition restricting wherethemotorhome can be stationed orused?
3. Can the Minister advise whether there exists a policy regarding the use of and parking of such vehicles exceeding 2.3 metres in width?
4. Can the Minister confirm howmanypermits have been applied for to importmotorhomes/caravanssince the endof2002and how many permits have been issued under the Planning and Building Law 2002?

5 Can the Minister confirm how many meetings, if any, his Department has had with the Driver and Vehicle

Standards department to discuss the number of motorhomes/caravans currently imported into the Island and registered since 2002?

6.  Will the Minister undertake to find out how many vehicles, either caravans, motorhomes or dormobiles are in the Island and will he undertake to ensure that these vehicles are parked on private property, either the property of the owner or on private property that the owner has access to for parking and storage by agreement?"

Answer

1. The relevant permitis sent to the applicant. Whilst there isnorequirement in the Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002 to notify the Driver and Vehicle StandardsDepartment, this isdone in any eventas a matter of good practice.
2. The Minister for Planning and Environment can attach a conditionundertheLawtothe importation of a caravan. TheLaw requires that any such condition "shall fairly and reasonably relate tothe importation of the caravanor the use of the caravan onthe Island."
3. No such policy exists within the remitof the Ministerfor Planning andEnvironment. The widthof vehicles is a matter for the Driver and VehicleStandards Department. It is understood that the main criteria used by that Department in issuing any size exemption permit for any vehicle is whethergranting such a permitis in the public interest as a whole andnot just to the individual making any application. Permits issued for an oversized motorhome are granted on a restricted movement basis from thedocksto the owner'shomeand vice versa and to a garage for servicing, but not for general circulationwithin the Island.
4. Since 2002, a totalof152 permits have been issued for motorhomes and 19 for caravans.  Anecdotally, the Departmentisaware that manyofthese vehicles are routinely kept out of the Islandand only brought back forrepairorsale.
5. Whilst no such meetings have been held within this timescale, officers ofeachDepartment are in regular contact.

6. The Minister for Planning andEnvironment is aware that there are currently 692 motor homes and 128 caravans licenced in the Island. The duty of the Minister in this matter is to properly control the importation of such vehicles. Itisnot for the Minister to enforce a particular storage regimeon the owners of such vehicles, unless there is a particular planning reason to do so. If, as is inferred by the question, there is perceived tobe a mounting problem with the improper storage of caravanson public land, then that is a matter for therelevantStatesDepartmentorParishwhich administers such land.