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Once you stick a structure on the ground the amount of water that needs to be drained from the land increases. Thus the drainage system you install on a site will have to be designed to cope with the maximum possible drainage requirements for the site. Ban awnings and you can reduce the cost of the infrastructure you install to create the site. For planning permission purposes you need to provide an indication of the drainage requirements for your development and how you will deal with them to secure the support of the relevant water authority for your planning application.

So, maybe its a case of either recovering that cost from everyone who uses the site (in the way that the CC does) or just charge those who need more drainage facilities. Maybe not the reason, but there's an engineering agument for you to mull over, challenge, scoff, etc but ask yourself why do your water rates increase if you erect another building on your land?

Round here we need the drainage system today!

Phil

private enterprise - I can believe that.  So did Dick Turpin. 

As for drainage, I can not believe that.  Drainage is not affected by just a cover. Concrete and tarmac clearly does.  Capillary action draws water in all directions, so some water ultimately drains into the land below the awning.  Just lift the groundsheet after heavy rain to find out.  If it is such a problem why does the caravan club not charge the extra.  The rain falls on their plain too!  Any comprehensive infrastructure covers the whole field and ignores awnings etc.  Having had a friend who created his own campsite a drainage structure under the whole site is not necessary unless the site has a water drainage issue.  Farmers only put field drainage in if there is a problem, not as a matter of course.  The issue is more to do with damaged grass.  But if groundsheets are regularly picked up to allow light to reach the chrorophyll producing cells all will recover quickly.

Still does not answer the question - why does Europe not charge extra for awnings or for the kid's tents?   

Quote: Originally posted by ldpdmp on 08/6/2010

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why does Europe not charge extra for awnings or for the kid's tents?

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but the caravan club do not charge extra   they are in it for the profit too    it can only be a rip off     

sites abroad in some cases ask you to pay for all sundries just like in the uk  but usually in the hotspots and that is where the majority of brits go     I am looking at Millau in the middle of August    over 30 euros to as little as 13 per night  the 30 is all singing and dancing and the 13 much less so but not a bucket and spade site   all sites are in the same section of the town     the all singing and dancing are usually short term sites - easter to october so must make their money fast  therefore they charge for what they can as in private enterprise     others are not so cash hungry - often a family run affair and they meet a particular niche - often full of French shich is a sign in itself      we love them - talk the talk and all is well     

I think it's all about keeping the base price for a pitch as low as possible, and then topping up with miscellaneous charges. The alternative is a higher base price, but not levying any extra charges. The former pricing model benefits those who don't have awnings/dogs/kids/gazebos, the latter is good for those who arrive with a car bursting with children and animals, and a boot full of accessory shop stock.

You pays yer money... or not.

And the Caravan Club does charge for awnings, but it's less, erm, obvious. It has five types of pitch rising in facilities and cost: Economy, Standard without awning, Standard with awning, Serviced, and Super. Of course, not every site has every type of pitch. 

where i am going  its 5 pounds extra a night

never been charged for an awning wherever I have gone on the CC circuit   the few with no awning pitches are obvious since they are fill in type pitches   the others are all the same price whether or not you have an awning   thus no charge for awning

Quote: Originally posted by ldpdmp on 08/6/2010

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never been charged for an awning wherever I have gone on the CC circuit   the few with no awning pitches are obvious since they are fill in type pitches   the others are all the same price whether or not you have an awning   thus no charge for awning

 

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We use one site for a month per season & it's all in the high price school holiday periods. If they charged for an awning, we'd stop going there straight away.

Being charged for how many are in the party over & above two adults & the unit bugs me. We've got four kids, three are now charged as extra adults which adds a lot to the cost of our holidays.

I was looking at a brochure yesterday. They charge extra for everything & once added together, they're not a cheap option. Pat of their brochure was listing storage prices, they charge tow on & tow off prices higher on some days of the week than others. Once you pay all these added costs, caravanning becomes very costly. They'll all get greedier & price themselves out of their own market one day & we'll sell the caravan without a second thought.

BB