Hello, farmer, pub owner, hotel operator or rural landowner. Your land may support a temporary campsite in Wales. Check the rules before you advertise, take bookings or install facilities.
From 1 September 2026, Class BA camping Wales rules create a new route for temporary recreational campsites. The right can allow up to 60 days per calendar year outside protected landscapes.
The limit remains 28 days in National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, now called National Landscapes, and World Heritage Sites.
You must also check the 100m buffer, submit an annual application to your local planning authority, and meet each condition.
This guide explains the route.
What Class BA allows
Class BA is a permitted development right under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (Wales) Order 2026.
It allows you to:
- Use land as a temporary recreational campsite.
- Operate for up to 60 days per calendar year on general land.
- Operate for up to 28 days per calendar year in protected landscapes.
- Provide moveable structures needed for the campsite.
- Host tents and motorhomes, including suitable campervans.
It does not grant permission for permanent buildings.
It does not permit static caravans, touring caravans or mobile homes. The caravan exception covers a motor vehicle designed or adapted for human habitation.
Check the difference between a motorhome and a towed caravan before you accept bookings.
The 60-day and 28-day limits
The annual limit applies to the whole campsite.
It is not 60 days per pitch. It is not 60 days per booking. It is not 60 days for each field.
| Location | Maximum Class BA campsite use |
|---|---|
| General land in Wales | 60 days per calendar year |
| National Park | 28 days per calendar year |
| National Landscape or AONB | 28 days per calendar year |
| World Heritage Site | 28 days per calendar year |
Choose your dates before the season starts. Keep a calendar. Record every operating day.
Do not assume that set-up, guest arrival or pack-down dates can be ignored. Ask your local planning authority how it expects operating days to be recorded.
The old Welsh 28-day rule also changes. From the new regime, ordinary camping should be assessed under Class BA, not treated as a simple Class B use.
Read the Welsh Government’s guidance on permitted development rights for temporary campsites.
The 100m buffer zone in Wales
The 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule is one of the main limits.
Class BA does not permit camping on land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling. The exception is use as a private way.
A protected dwelling means a dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
In simple terms, the rule mainly protects neighbouring homes.
Your own home may not be a protected dwelling if you own or operate the campsite from it. Confirm the position with the local planning authority if the site includes several homes or separate lets.
How to measure the 100m buffer
Do not measure from an approximate point on a map.
Use a scaled site plan. Mark each protected dwelling. Identify its domestic curtilage. Then measure 100 metres from the relevant edge of that property area to the proposed camping area.
Show the measurement on your plan.
Include:
- The dwelling.
- Its curtilage.
- The 100m measurement line.
- The proposed campsite boundary.
- Access routes.
- Pitches and amenities.
Use mapping software or a qualified planning professional for a first check. Treat a boundary close to 100 metres as a risk. Leave a margin where possible.
Ask the LPA to confirm its view in writing. Keep the response in your compliance file.
When the buffer blocks Class BA
The buffer blocks the Class BA route where any proposed camping area falls within the 100m exclusion zone.
Moving a toilet block or reception tent does not solve the issue if the camping use remains inside the buffer.
Reducing the number of pitches does not remove the rule.
Using the site for fewer than 28 days does not remove the rule.
The old 28-day camping route cannot be used to avoid the buffer.
If you want to operate inside the buffer, apply for full planning permission. Do not open first and seek permission later.
Prior approval for a campsite
Class BA requires an annual application to the local planning authority.
This is an application for a determination as to whether prior approval is required. Submit it before beginning the development in each calendar year.
Your submission must include a site plan and details of:
- Toilet and wastewater facilities.
- Waste disposal facilities.
- The siting of pitches and amenities.
- Access from the highway.
- Dates when the site will be in use.
The LPA will assess the information.
It may require a separate prior approval application under the BA.4 process. This can happen where access may cause a material increase or material change in local traffic.
The LPA may also request information about impacts and risks.
Do not treat the application as a formality. Show how your site will work.
Explain how you will:
- Provide toilets for the full operating period.
- Contain and remove wastewater.
- Store and remove waste.
- Keep access clear.
- Manage guest arrivals.
- Protect the highway.
- Maintain emergency access.
The 28-day determination window
The LPA must provide a written determination within 28 days of receiving the application.
It must either:
- Confirm that prior approval is not required, or
- State that prior approval is required, or
- Notify you that the application is invalid because it does not meet the submission requirements.
If 28 days pass without a notice that the application is invalid and without a determination, the Order provides a deemed outcome. You may proceed on the basis that prior approval is not required, subject to every other Class BA condition.
Keep proof of the submission date. Keep the LPA acknowledgement. Keep a copy of every document.
If the LPA says prior approval is required, submit the BA.4 application. Wait for written approval before opening.
Operate in line with the approved details. If prior approval is not required, operate in line with the submitted site plan and particulars.
Land that Class BA does not cover
Class BA does not apply to several sensitive locations.
Check whether your land includes or falls within:
- A scheduled monument.
- A Special Area of Conservation.
- A Special Protection Area.
- A Ramsar site.
- A Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- The site of a listed building.
- Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
- A safety hazard area.
- A military explosives storage area.
- The 100m buffer around a protected dwelling.
Article 4 Directions can also remove permitted development rights. This matters in areas such as the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
Read the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park update before planning a site there.
Check all designations before buying equipment or promoting your campsite.
Practical ways to work around the buffer
You cannot remove the buffer. You can change your site plan.
Start with a full land survey. Mark every protected dwelling. Draw the 100m lines. Then assess the usable area.
Consider these options:
1. Move the camping area
Place pitches beyond the buffer. Keep the full campsite use outside the exclusion zone.
You may still use a private way within the buffer for access, where the Order allows it. Do not treat this exception as permission for camping.
2. Use another field
A nearby field may have fewer neighbouring dwellings. Check access, drainage, flood risk and designations before moving the proposal.
3. Reduce the site
A smaller campsite may fit beyond the buffer. Rework the pitch layout. Keep toilets, waste areas and access within a practical operating plan.
4. Apply for full planning permission
If the best land falls within the buffer, full planning permission may be the correct route.
Use this route if you need:
- Camping inside the 100m buffer.
- Static or touring caravans.
- Permanent toilets or buildings.
- A longer operating period.
- A permanent campsite.
- A proposal affected by an Article 4 Direction.
Ask the LPA for pre-application advice. Use a planning consultant where the site includes several restrictions.
Farm diversification camping
Farm diversification camping can support a second income stream. It can also add services to a pub or hotel.
Start with compliance.
Then plan the guest experience.
Farmers can consider:
- Seasonal tent pitches.
- Motorhome pitches.
- Small group stays.
- Walking weekends.
- Wildlife experiences.
- Guided outdoor activities.
- Farm shop or café links.
Pubs and hotels can connect camping with meals, local walks, showers or guided trips.
Keep arrivals controlled. Set quiet hours. Manage vehicle movements. Keep waste collection regular.
Do not add buildings or permanent services under the assumption that Class BA covers them.
Planning permission, site licensing, environmental health, fire safety and insurance are separate matters. Check each one.
Class BA compliance checklist
Use this checklist before opening.
- Confirm that the land is in Wales.
- Check whether the site is general land or protected landscape.
- Set the limit at 60 or 28 days.
- Record all operating dates.
- Identify every protected dwelling.
- Measure the 100m buffer from the relevant curtilage.
- Keep camping outside the buffer.
- Check for Article 4 Directions.
- Check protected sites and heritage designations.
- Check Flood Zones 2 and 3.
- Exclude static and touring caravans.
- Confirm which motorhomes and campervans can be hosted.
- Plan toilets and wastewater facilities.
- Plan waste disposal facilities.
- Plan highway access and emergency access.
- Prepare a scaled site plan.
- Submit the annual BA.3 determination application.
- Keep proof of submission.
- Wait for the LPA response or the 28-day deemed outcome.
- Submit BA.4 prior approval if required.
- Wait for written prior approval before opening.
- Keep records during operation.
- Remove temporary structures when the period ends.
- Check licensing, insurance and safety duties.
Plan your licensed camping route
Class BA can help landowners use suitable land for temporary camping. The route needs planning.
Map the buffer first. Check the site limits. Prepare the facilities plan. Submit the annual application. Keep your records.
Open Sky Adventure can help you assess your land and explore a compliant licensed camping model.
Join the Open Sky Adventure group and sign up on our website.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.
You can also review our legal information or contact the onboarding team on 01766 805099 or office@openskyadventure.co.uk.
This article provides general information about Class BA camping Wales and camping legislation UK 2026. It is not legal or planning advice. Confirm your site, dates and proposed use with the relevant local planning authority before operating.