Hello, landowner. You may be able to turn unused land into a temporary campsite.
Class BC gives you a planning route for up to 60 days each calendar year.
Use it for farm diversification camping, seasonal income, or a new offer for your pub, hotel or rural business.
Check the rules first. Plan the site. Keep records. Stay within the limits.
This guide covers England. It does not provide legal advice. Check your site with the local planning authority, licensing team and relevant specialists before opening.
What Class BC allows
Class BC is a permitted development right under Part 4 of Schedule 2 to the General Permitted Development Order 2015.
It allows:
- Recreational campsite use for no more than 60 days in one calendar year
- No more than 50 pitches
- Moveable structures needed for the campsite
- Tents
- Campervans and motorhomes that meet the caravan definition
It does not allow ordinary touring caravans under this right.
You can use the 60 days together or split them across the year.
Open for weekends. Open during school holidays. Choose dates that fit your land and demand.
Keep a day-by-day record. Count every operating day. Do not rely on memory.
The 60-day right applies in England. Wales still has different planning arrangements. The old temporary-use 28-day rule remains important in parts of the UK, but it does not replace Class BC in England.
The 28-day rule and the 60-day rule
The phrase “28-day rule” still causes confusion.
Under the older Class B temporary use right, land could be used for certain temporary purposes for up to 28 days each calendar year. From 26 July 2024, recreational camping outside festivals moved into Class BC in England.
That means a normal temporary campsite in England should not rely on Class B.
Use Class BC instead.
The key change is simple:
- Class B: temporary use of land, with camping mainly retained for festivals
- Class BC: temporary recreational campsites, up to 60 days per calendar year
The 60 days cover the campsite use. Plan your operating period before you accept bookings.
Also separate planning from licensing.
Class BC does not automatically remove your duties under campsite licensing law. You may need a site licence if you camp for more than 42 consecutive days or more than 60 days in the relevant period. Caravan and motorhome use can create separate licensing issues.
Ask your local authority’s licensing team for written confirmation.
Read the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 and check the Public Health Act 1936.
Check your land before you invest
Class BC is not available everywhere.
The right does not apply:
- On a scheduled monument
- In a safety hazard area
- In a military explosives storage area
- On a Site of Special Scientific Interest
- On a site of a listed building
- For ordinary caravans that are not motor vehicles designed or adapted for human habitation
Check each designation before you draw your pitch layout.
Use your local planning authority’s mapping system. Check Natural England data. Review your title documents. Confirm the position of listed buildings and scheduled monuments.
Look at nearby conservation and nature designations too. Other environmental rules may apply even where Class BC is available.
Check whether an Article 4 direction affects permitted development rights in your area.
Do not buy toilets, fencing or booking software before you complete this check.
The 100-metre buffer zone explained
Class BC does not set a national 100-metre buffer zone.
The legislation does not require you to place pitches 100 metres from a house, boundary, road or other feature.
This matters.
A local planning officer may mention a 100-metre distance. Ask where it comes from.
It may be:
- Local planning guidance
- A site-specific planning policy
- A condition attached to an existing permission
- A suggested amenity measure
- A requirement linked to another consent
It is not a general Class BC condition across England.
Use a 100-metre buffer as a planning tool if it helps your design. Do not describe it as a national legal requirement unless your site has a separate rule that says so.
If your LPA asks for it, request the policy reference in writing. Then map the distance from the correct feature.
Do not measure from an assumed point.
Ask whether the distance runs from:
- The nearest dwelling
- The residential curtilage
- A site boundary
- A public right of way
- A road
- A listed building
Then record the answer.
A buffer can reduce noise, light and privacy issues. It can also protect wildlife areas and working farm operations. But it may reduce your usable pitch area.
Test two layouts:
- A strict 100-metre exclusion area
- A Class BC layout based on the legal limits and local evidence
Compare access, facilities, safety, drainage and income.
Notify the local planning authority every year
You must notify the LPA in writing before campsite use begins in each calendar year.
Include:
- The site address
- Your name and contact details
- A clear site plan
- The location of toilet facilities
- The location of waste disposal facilities
- The dates when the campsite will operate
- The number and layout of pitches
Send the notice early.
Keep proof of delivery. Keep a copy of the plan you sent. Keep your booking dates and operating log together.
The LPA must pass the notice to the fire and rescue authority where those bodies are separate.
Your notice does not replace prior approval where prior approval is required.
When you need prior approval for a campsite
You need a prior approval campsite application if the proposed site sits within Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
You must receive approval before the campsite starts each year.
Submit:
- The prior approval application
- The required fee
- A site-specific flood risk assessment
- Warning and evacuation arrangements
- The site plan
- The proposed operating dates
The LPA must consult the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency must receive at least 21 days to respond.
Do not open while you wait.
The legislation allows development to begin after written approval. It can also begin after 56 days if the LPA has not notified you whether approval is given or refused.
Do not treat this as a shortcut. Confirm the application date. Keep all correspondence. Ask your planning adviser to review the position before you accept guests.
Your flood plan must work in practice.
Show how you will:
- Warn guests
- Stop new arrivals
- Move people to a safe location
- Keep access routes clear
- Contact emergency services
- Account for guests and staff
Provide toilets and waste facilities
Class BC requires on-site toilets and waste disposal facilities.
This is a condition of the right.
Do not open first and arrange facilities later.
Choose facilities based on your pitch numbers and booking model. Arrange servicing before the first arrival. Keep a waste collection record.
Show the facilities on your annual site plan.
Also plan:
- Handwashing
- Drinking water
- Waste separation
- Greywater disposal
- Emergency access
- Lighting
- Fire points
- Accessibility
- Cleaning checks
Showers are not listed as a mandatory Class BC condition. You can provide them if they suit your guests and budget.
Follow public health guidance. Check trade waste rules. Use a licensed waste contractor where required.
Build a workable campsite business
Farm diversification camping works best when the operation stays simple.
Start with fewer pitches.
Test 10 or 20 before you consider 50. Learn how guests use the land. Check noise, parking, waste, cleaning and arrival times.
Use the 60 days with a clear plan.
You could:
- Run weekends in spring
- Focus on school holidays
- Offer walking breaks
- Link stays to local events
- Create packages for couples and families
- Host small private groups
- Add guided outdoor experiences
Do not promise facilities that you cannot provide.
Do not exceed 50 pitches.
Do not operate beyond your declared dates without checking the planning position.
For pubs and hotels, link the campsite to existing services. Offer food, drinks, local walks or activity bookings. Keep traffic away from your main customer areas where possible.
For farmers, protect working routes. Separate guests from livestock. Mark farm hazards. Keep machinery access clear.
For all operators, obtain suitable public liability insurance and prepare written site rules.
Use expert support before you open
Class BC looks simple. Compliance still needs care.
Open Sky Adventure helps landowners, farmers, pubs and hotels plan licensed camping offers. We can help you review the site, map the layout, prepare the annual notification, plan facilities and understand the prior approval process.
Start with the Open Sky Adventure Class BC guide.
Then review our outdoor survival and camping guidance before you prepare guest operations.
Use this order:
- Check land designations
- Confirm the planning authority
- Check the flood zone
- Ask about Article 4 directions
- Check licensing requirements
- Plan your 60 operating days
- Draw the site plan
- Map any local 100-metre guidance
- Arrange toilets and waste disposal
- Submit the annual notification
- Apply for prior approval if required
- Open only after the checks are complete
Final check for 2026
Class BC can support a legal temporary campsite on suitable land in England.
It gives you up to 60 days each calendar year.
It limits you to 50 pitches.
It requires toilets, waste facilities and annual written notification.
It requires prior approval in Flood Zone 2 or 3.
It does not create a national 100-metre buffer.
Check the source of any local distance requirement. Keep planning and licensing separate. Record every step.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.
Contact Open Sky Adventure to review your land and plan your next step.