Across the pond – the Atlantic Ocean – that separates the United States from jolly old England, “mobile homes” – right or wrong – have a similarly problematic reputation. The British caravan is nevertheless often seen as a form of affordable housing there, just as pre-HUD Code mobiles homes and manufactured homes are here. That noted, some caravan units are closer to a towable RV – a travel trailer – in the USA or Canada. So, when reading a British publication and one sees the term “caravan” it isn’t always clear which type of unit is being described.
Lexico defines the term from England – “caravan” – as a British noun: “A vehicle equipped for living in, typically a trailer towed by a car and used when traveling for recreation. … ‘To anybody who has ever endured a caravan holiday in Ireland, mobile homes will always conjure up images of laminate interiors, chintzy furnishings and Travel Scrabble.”
The illustrations above and below give some indication of the commonly used terms.
As MHProNews has reported previously, England has modular housing that is similar to modular housing here in the U.S.
Home Group Commissions YouGov Study, Most Don’t Understand Modular Homes
The video below was uploaded in 2017. It gives a sense of the similarities and distinctions between an American “manufactured home” in a land-lease community and a British “holiday park.”
Neighbouring villagers also claim fruit pickers defecate in the nearby fields and bushes in the region designated an Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty.
Bosses at the farm want to increase the workforce but residents fear the idea could reduce their quality of life further.
FW Mansfield & Son, which has a fruit business of 1.7 million trees across 1,480 acres of Kent countryside, wants permission for 20 extra caravans to be pitched up at its HQ.
But concerned villagers have blasted the proposals – fearing big rises in traffic, litter, noise and more human faeces being found near public footpaths.
The plans come after the multi-million pound firm snapped up a further 275 acres of farmland in a village three miles away – with the creation of 80 new jobs.
The firm wants to house some of the new employees in six-berth caravans at Middle Pett Farm should the plans be approved by the council.
Helen Stephens who lives nearby claimed the “peace and tranquillity” in the area has already been eroded due to the amount of existing seasonal workers, and added that an extra 80 will escalate the current problems.
Commenting on the plans, she said: “As an Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty these vans are a massive intrusion in the countryside, least of all the litter left by the residents on a daily basis and the defecating near footpaths and on verges.
“They have little respect for the permanent residents in the area.
“The addition of a further 20 mobile homes would mean a possible 270 people on a site which doesn’t have the appropriate amenities to cope with the existing number without adding to it.
“The number of people accessing the lane from the units through the hedging would be extremely dangerous to traffic.
“Our once beautiful countryside becomes more of an eyesore. If we had wanted to live around 250 or so neighbours we would have bought a house in the middle of town.”
Despite the criticism, the proposals have been warmly welcomed by others who live in the area.
One supporter, Peter Kelly, said: “In the current climate it is fantastic that they are in a position to expand and even better that it can incorporate new jobs, of which the UK is crying out for.
“The pandemic has taken so many businesses from us and Mansfields are opening up more and more job opportunities…” ##
The balance of Payne’s report for Southwest Farmer is found at this link here.
The above local media narrative by Payne illustrates that be it the U.S., Canada, England or Australia, the push-pull by locals and business interest over affordable housing that is akin to American manufactured homes is a common phenomenon.
That noted, here in the United States, the legal tools to address the need for more affordable manufactured homes has existed for 12 to some 20 years. See the related reports for more details.
As a postscript, the tourism video of Canterbury gives some local color – or colour, in British English – to the rich historic backdrop to the local news story above.
There is always more to read and more to come. Stay tuned with the runaway number one source for authentic “News through the lens of manufactured homes and factory-built housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) (See Related Reports, further below. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)
By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship and earned numerous awards in history and in manufactured housing.
For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. He’s a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.
This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s position, and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
Related References:
The text/image boxes below are linked to other reports, which can be accessed by clicking on them.
“Mob Rules” – 2020 and Manufactured Housing Updates; plus, Sunday Weekly Headlines in Review
VP Joe Biden’s Pledges vs. Behavior, What the Biden-Harris Team Said and Does Pre- and Post-Election
“What is Wrong is That We Do Not Ask What is Right;” Sunday Weekly Headlines Review
