Hello, farmer, hospitality owner, or rural landowner.
Your land may support a campsite.
The wrong application can cost you a season.
Class BC applies in England. Class BA applies in Wales. Both offer permitted development rights for temporary recreational campsites. The rules are not the same.
This guide explains the seven mistakes that lead to refusals, delays, and enforcement risk.
Check the rules before you advertise pitches, take bookings, or install facilities.
Planning law can change. Check your Local Planning Authority, licensing team, and professional adviser before you act.
Class BC and Class BA at a glance
| Rule | England: Class BC | Wales: Class BA |
|---|---|---|
| Main use | Temporary recreational campsite | Temporary recreational campsite |
| Annual limit | 60 days | 60 days |
| Protected landscapes | Check local restrictions | 28 days in National Parks, National Landscapes/AONBs, and World Heritage Sites |
| Pitch limit | Up to 50 pitches | No equivalent pitch limit stated in Class BA |
| 100m buffer | No general Class BC buffer | Applies to protected dwellings |
| Flood Zones 2 and 3 | Prior approval required | Class BA cannot be used |
| Annual process | Written notification | Determination application |
| Towed caravans | Not allowed | Not allowed |
Read the official England Class BC legislation and the official Wales Class BA legislation.
First, understand the 28-day rule
Do not rely on old camping advice.
The general temporary-use Class B route is not a general permission for ordinary recreational camping in England or Wales. Camping under that route is now restricted, including camping connected with a festival.
For a standard temporary campsite:
- Use Class BC in England.
- Use Class BA in Wales.
- Count operating days across the calendar year.
- Stay within the relevant 60-day or 28-day limit.
In Wales, the 28-day limit applies to Class BA land in a National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site.
That is an operating limit.
It is not the same as the 28-day decision period for a Welsh determination application.
Do not confuse the two.
Mistake 1: Choosing the wrong planning route
A refusal often starts before the application is submitted.
You may use the wrong class, apply in the wrong country, or rely on the old 28-day rule.
Class BC is the English route. Class BA is the Welsh route.
The rights differ in key areas. These include:
- Flood zones.
- The 100m buffer.
- Annual procedures.
- Designated landscapes.
- Site exclusions.
- Pitch limits.
Start by confirming the country and the exact site boundary.
Then check whether the proposed use is recreational camping. Check the type of accommodation. Check whether the structures are moveable.
Class BC and Class BA do not automatically authorise permanent buildings, fixed glamping units, hardstanding, new roads, or unrelated commercial uses.
Read our guide to Class BC and Class BA for landowners.
Mistake 2: Miscounting the 60-day limit
The 60-day rule is strict.
In England, Class BC allows a recreational campsite for no more than 60 days in total during one calendar year. It also allows up to 50 pitches.
The days do not need to be consecutive.
Count every day when the land operates as a campsite. Count from 1 January to 31 December.
Do not count by season. Do not count by booking period. Do not assume that closing between guests removes a day.
In Wales, Class BA allows:
- Up to 60 days on most eligible land.
- Up to 28 days in specified protected landscapes.
Keep an operating-day log. Record opening and closing dates. Record the number of pitches in use.
Do not split one campsite across nearby fields to avoid the limit. The council may consider the wider operating pattern.
Mistake 3: Ignoring the Welsh 100m buffer
This mistake affects Class BA applications in Wales.
Class BA does not permit campsite use on land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling, except for the use of a private way.
A protected dwelling means a dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
Prior approval cannot remove this restriction.
A strong application cannot override it.
Map every nearby dwelling before you design the campsite. Mark the 100m area on your plan. Measure from the relevant dwelling or curtilage, use a conservative measurement, and ask the LPA how it wants the distance assessed.
Do not place these inside the restricted area without proper advice:
- Pitches.
- Toilets.
- Waste facilities.
- Amenity areas.
- Camping structures.
- Access areas, other than a qualifying private way.
If the remaining land cannot support safe access, emergency routes, toilets, waste storage, and viable pitches, choose another field.
England is different.
Class BC does not include a general 100m buffer from houses. You must still manage noise, lighting, traffic, privacy, and waste.
Do not apply the Welsh buffer to England as if it were an English Class BC condition.
Mistake 4: Getting flood zones wrong
Flood risk is central to the England prior approval process.
Under Class BC, prior approval is required when any part of the proposed campsite land is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
Your application must include:
- A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment.
- Flood warning arrangements.
- Evacuation arrangements.
- The required fee.
- Clear site information.
The LPA must consult the Environment Agency. It must consider the response when deciding the application.
A generic flood statement is not enough.
Show where people will camp. Show access and escape routes. Explain how you will warn visitors. Explain what happens if conditions change.
In Flood Zone 1, Class BC does not require this prior approval process. You still need the required annual written notification and must meet every other Class BC condition.
Wales has a different rule.
Class BA does not permit the use of land in Flood Zones 2 or 3. A Welsh application cannot cure this exclusion through prior approval.
Check the current flood map before you prepare your site plan.
Mistake 5: Submitting an incomplete site plan
A weak plan creates questions.
Questions create delay.
Missing information can lead to a request for details or refusal.
For England, your annual notification should show:
- The site boundary.
- Pitch locations.
- Site access.
- Toilet facilities.
- Waste disposal facilities.
- Emergency access.
- Operating dates.
For a Class BC prior approval application, include the site-specific flood assessment and the warning and evacuation arrangements.
For Wales, the Class BA determination application should include:
- Toilet and wastewater arrangements.
- Waste disposal arrangements.
- Pitch and amenity locations.
- Access from the highway.
- Operating dates.
- The site boundary.
- The required fee.
Use a scaled plan.
Label each feature.
Show how vehicles enter, turn, park, and leave. Show how waste is collected. Show how emergency vehicles reach the site.
Mistake 6: Misunderstanding the 28-day and 56-day procedures
Timing errors can make a lawful site unlawful.
England: Class BC
For a Flood Zone 2 or 3 site, you must apply for prior approval before operating in that calendar year.
The council has 56 days to decide.
Do not start until:
- You receive written prior approval, or
- The 56-day period expires without the authority notifying you whether approval is given or refused.
Check that the application was valid and received. Keep proof of submission. Record the date carefully.
Wales: Class BA
You must submit a determination application before beginning each year.
The LPA has 28 days to provide either:
- Written notice that prior approval is not required.
- Written notice that prior approval is required.
- A notice that the application is incomplete or does not comply with the required information.
If prior approval is required, submit the second application.
Then wait for written approval before opening.
Do not treat the Welsh 28-day period as 28 days of camping. Do not assume that a determination application gives you permission to open immediately.
Use the Welsh Government determination guidance.
Mistake 7: Treating permitted development as a complete business approval
Class BC or Class BA deals with planning permission.
It does not remove every other duty.
Before taking bookings, check:
- Campsite or caravan site licensing.
- Public liability insurance.
- Fire safety.
- Water supply.
- Wastewater.
- Waste collection.
- Electrical safety.
- Food registration.
- Public rights of way.
- Environmental permissions.
- Activity risk assessments.
Also check whether the site is excluded from permitted development.
England Class BC excludes, among other locations:
- Scheduled monuments.
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
- Safety hazard areas.
- Military explosives storage areas.
- Sites of listed buildings.
Wales Class BA has wider exclusions. These include:
- Scheduled monuments.
- Special Areas of Conservation.
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
- Ramsar sites.
- Special Protection Areas.
- Listed buildings.
- Flood Zones 2 and 3.
- Land within 100m of a protected dwelling.
Check for an Article 4 Direction.
Do not assume that a planning notification replaces a site licence. Speak to the council licensing team before you invest.
Your first-time approval checklist
Use this order:
- Confirm England or Wales.
- Select Class BC or Class BA.
- Check the 60-day or 28-day limit.
- Check the pitch limit.
- Check flood zones.
- Check protected landscapes.
- Map the Welsh 100m buffer where relevant.
- Check environmental and heritage exclusions.
- Draw a scaled site plan.
- Plan toilets, wastewater, waste, and access.
- Submit the correct annual notification or determination application.
- Submit prior approval where required.
- Wait for the required written decision.
- Confirm licensing and insurance.
- Keep every record.
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