Whilst the importance of protecting the NHS and saving lives is of paramount importance during the COVID-19 crisis, there is a discrepancy in how different business sectors are being treated in terms of lockdown measure de-escalation. It is realised that it has been a difficult time for our politicians too and that some tough decisions have been required. However, continuing to prevent access to second homes and caravans is no longer acceptable.

Clearly static caravan parks are in the non-essential bracket, but so are many of the other businesses that have now been open for weeks. Garden centres, parks and golf courses are all freely available, so long as social distancing regulations are respected.  However it is up to each individual business to effectively police social distancing rules and most businesses must have a health and safety inspection for insurance purposes prior to re-opening. These example services are not necessary for the population to survive, but rather, these non-essential services have been made available to stop people going out of their minds at home. They, like caravan parks, are key to ensuring the mental health and well-being of those who up until this point, have honoured all imposed rules of the lockdown.

Caravan parks clearly fit into this category.  Like every other business type, a health and safety inspection should establish which sites are safe to open and which ones are not. Everyone acknowledges that play parks, common wash/laundry facilities and shared services will not re-open at this time, but that aside, static caravans and even touring vans with self-contained wash facilities are approximately 6 metres apart and the most that caravan owners meet is during walks on the beach or surrounding area. This is no different to the social distancing experiences elsewhere like in garden centres, except that in garden centres, it is very often close contact with someone indoors. Caravan park owners can issue guidance in line with local government guidance, especially in relation to meeting people outside your family, or other social distancing measures. The incentive is that if caravan owners flout the rules, they risk parks closure again, preventing access to their caravan. In the end of the day, if folk will break the law at a caravan park, they will break it at home anyway.  

All caravan site owners and caravan owners that have been engaged, want to see a relaxation, especially in relation to static caravans.  Static caravans and second homes are self-contained units! Although there is some commentary around holiday regions being flooded with caravan owners, many small local businesses in these resort regions depend on the millions of pounds spent by caravan owners during holiday season, in villages like Kilkeel, Annalong, Portrush, Portstewart and Ballycastle. Many small businesses that rely on this are already at breaking point owing to the COVID-19 crisis. The effect of wrongly keeping these sites closed in the name of public health is unnecessarily going to lead to many more small local businesses folding in these regions. Also, with key school pupils going back to school as early as mid-August, putting off relaxation of the second home/caravan rule will mean that many owners will not get any use this year, despite paying thousands of pounds to do so. I urge you to reconsider your policy, which is increasingly out-of-step with the UK government's stance, especially given that we were not affected nearly so much as England has been.