hi guys
i'm a bus loving chick from the UK but it's getting really messy here. wherever you park up the police can move you on (on do) if you refuse they can empound your vehicle and even if you own the land you can't live in a parked vehicle without planning permission (which is never granted).
What's the situation in other countries? Is there any freedom left in the world? is it only my draconian orwellian country that has a ridiculous prejudice against living in trucks?
Love
Amble
legal stuff
Moderator: TMAX
I've always heard that the UK was stringent about enforcing laws about "motor camping", although I recently got an email from someone in Ireland and apparently there is some interest there in bus dwelling and people are getting on with some of it without too much hassles.
Of course, New Zealand has a very active house truck and bus scene, although I hear that parkup availability while traveling is not as good as it once was. Australia looks to have quite a few hand built homes on wheels as well.
When I was building my Housetruck here in the states, I had many people tell me that I'd never be able to live in it due to code and council prohibitions. I went ahead and moved into it anyway and haven't had a lick of problems.
I guess it has a lot to do with how "uptight" the populace in your area (or country) is. Many of the restrictive laws and anti-camping laws are probably based on ancient notions about transients and gypsies, and that anyone who doesn't have a "proper" habitation is either a thief or a drug abuser. Fortunately, in the US, the very lucrative commercial motor home manufacturing industry has made it much easier to appear "normal" when living in wheel estate.
Having said that, there is some prejudice in "RV Parks" against older vehicles or rigs that have been owner-built. Apparently the wealthy retired people who paid half a million for their slick plastic motor homes object to having to park temporarily next to a family who managed to get on the road for less. School buses are particularly frowned upon, even if they have been elegantly appointed and pleasantly repainted on the exterior. My thought is that I'd never want snooty people that would object to my vehicle because of its former use as neighbors anyway, even for a single night.
One thing I've wondered, is there an active commercial motor home industry in the UK, and if so, are the same laws and prohibitions applied to caravans and RV's, or are simple folk being singled out for the harsh treatment?
Of course, New Zealand has a very active house truck and bus scene, although I hear that parkup availability while traveling is not as good as it once was. Australia looks to have quite a few hand built homes on wheels as well.
When I was building my Housetruck here in the states, I had many people tell me that I'd never be able to live in it due to code and council prohibitions. I went ahead and moved into it anyway and haven't had a lick of problems.
I guess it has a lot to do with how "uptight" the populace in your area (or country) is. Many of the restrictive laws and anti-camping laws are probably based on ancient notions about transients and gypsies, and that anyone who doesn't have a "proper" habitation is either a thief or a drug abuser. Fortunately, in the US, the very lucrative commercial motor home manufacturing industry has made it much easier to appear "normal" when living in wheel estate.
Having said that, there is some prejudice in "RV Parks" against older vehicles or rigs that have been owner-built. Apparently the wealthy retired people who paid half a million for their slick plastic motor homes object to having to park temporarily next to a family who managed to get on the road for less. School buses are particularly frowned upon, even if they have been elegantly appointed and pleasantly repainted on the exterior. My thought is that I'd never want snooty people that would object to my vehicle because of its former use as neighbors anyway, even for a single night.
One thing I've wondered, is there an active commercial motor home industry in the UK, and if so, are the same laws and prohibitions applied to caravans and RV's, or are simple folk being singled out for the harsh treatment?
Re: legal stuff
Hi all,
Same problems also here in Italy.
Small freedom because building codes doesn't allow even to put indefinitely a house truck without to pay taxes to local authority that , usually , denies always.
Here each installation , on own land , must be reported to local authority that can deny my demand.
What I Can Do ?
All world is under all power of governments.
ambleskram wrote:hi guys
i'm a bus loving chick from the UK but it's getting really messy here. wherever you park up the police can move you on (on do) if you refuse they can empound your vehicle and even if you own the land you can't live in a parked vehicle without planning permission (which is never granted).
What's the situation in other countries?
Same problems also here in Italy.
Small freedom because building codes doesn't allow even to put indefinitely a house truck without to pay taxes to local authority that , usually , denies always.
Here each installation , on own land , must be reported to local authority that can deny my demand.
What I Can Do ?
There isn't I afraid.Is there any freedom left in the world?
All world is under all power of governments.
In Australia things seem to be much more relaxed. Technically it seems that we have similar laws regarding camping/living on your own land however I've only ever heard of them being enforced if your neighbors complain or if you really make a pig sty of the place. We've stayed on our land for long periods but to be fair it's 25 acres, we're not visible from the road, and we get on with the neighbors. If we had a 1/2 acre in town I'm sure it would be different.
Free camping in general is pretty easy as well although on the east coast you are more likely to be moved on because it's very crowded (by our standards
). Once you get into the outback you can camp pretty much anywhere you like, just use common sense. We've been living on the road for 7 years and in the last 6 have not set foot inside an RV park. In all that time we've only been moved on about 4 times by rangers and on three of those occasions they apologized but said a local had complained so now they had to act. Those three rangers had known we were camped but saw no harm in it, just had to act when it became official.
As I write this we're camped within a few miles of downtown Brisbane (a capital city) in a spot we've used several times. Last time we were here one of the nearby house owners even bought us some fish and chips and refused any money.
Free camping in general is pretty easy as well although on the east coast you are more likely to be moved on because it's very crowded (by our standards
). Once you get into the outback you can camp pretty much anywhere you like, just use common sense. We've been living on the road for 7 years and in the last 6 have not set foot inside an RV park. In all that time we've only been moved on about 4 times by rangers and on three of those occasions they apologized but said a local had complained so now they had to act. Those three rangers had known we were camped but saw no harm in it, just had to act when it became official.As I write this we're camped within a few miles of downtown Brisbane (a capital city) in a spot we've used several times. Last time we were here one of the nearby house owners even bought us some fish and chips and refused any money.
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