WHEN is a caravan not a caravan? That is the question Wychavon district councillors will be pondering this afternoon when they meet to discuss planning policy.

The council has lodged strong objections to a proposal by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) to amend the definition of a caravan by increasing external dimensions to allow owners to insulate their properties without taking away living space.

This will add nearly two metres to the length of a caravan, one and a half metres to the width and nearly half a metre to the height. District council lors have lodged strong objections.

In a letter to the ODPM district solicitor Paul Taylor lists 11 reasons to oppose the ODPM plans, questioning why the insulation cannot be inside, and concludes "the application of cladding to caravans adds further to the perception that the structures are permanent."