Hello, farmer, landowner or rural business owner.
Your land may support a temporary campsite.
Class BC permitted development rights can let you operate for up to 60 days each calendar year.
You can offer tent pitches and motorhome or campervan pitches.
You must follow every condition.
Use this guide before you advertise, accept bookings or install facilities.
What Class BC camping allows in England
Class BC sits within Part 4 of the General Permitted Development Order.
It allows:
- Recreational camping for no more than 60 days in total each calendar year.
- Up to 50 pitches.
- Moveable structures reasonably needed for the campsite.
- Tents.
- Motorhomes and campervans.
It does not allow regular towed caravans.
It does not allow static caravans.
It does not allow permanent buildings under this right.
Use Class BC for a temporary campsite. Remove temporary structures when the operating period ends.
The 28-day rule has changed
The old 28-day rule caused confusion.
In England, the former Class B route allowed certain temporary uses of land for up to 28 days. Camping was removed from that route after 25 July 2024, except for camping connected with a festival.
Class BC now provides the main permitted development route for ordinary temporary recreational camping in England.
The temporary campsite 60 days rule is separate from the old 28-day rule.
Do not treat the allowance as 60 days per pitch.
Do not treat it as 60 days per booking.
Do not add 60 days to the old 28-day allowance.
Use one annual calendar. Record every campsite operating day.
The five Class BC limits you must meet
1. Stay within 60 days
You can split the days across the year.
You could run:
- Weekend camping in May and June.
- A summer block in July.
- Weekend camping in September.
- A short school holiday period.
Do not exceed 60 days in total.
Set your operating dates before the season starts. Keep a live calendar. Update it when you cancel or add dates.
Ask your local planning authority how it expects operating days to be counted, especially where you need setup or removal time.
2. Stay within 50 pitches
Class BC allows no more than 50 pitches.
Count all pitches shown on your plan.
Do not add overflow pitches during busy weekends.
Start with fewer pitches if your access, toilets, waste service or ground conditions cannot support 50.
A smaller site can reduce traffic, waste, noise and pressure on the land.
3. Use moveable structures
Class BC allows moveable structures reasonably necessary for the campsite.
Possible examples include:
- Portable toilets.
- Temporary wash facilities.
- Moveable waste stations.
- A removable reception shelter.
- Temporary signs.
- Moveable storage.
Do not install concrete bases or permanent buildings without checking the separate planning position.
Glamping pods, lodges and shepherd’s huts need care. Some may be caravans. Some may be buildings. Some may fall outside Class BC.
Get planning advice before buying units.
4. Provide toilets and waste facilities
Toilets and waste disposal facilities are mandatory.
Provide them on site before guests arrive.
Plan for:
- Toilet numbers.
- Servicing access.
- Handwashing.
- Waste storage.
- Recycling.
- Liquid waste.
- Collection dates.
- Emergency cleaning.
- Protection from livestock and wildlife.
Keep facilities away from watercourses.
Keep waste areas away from food preparation areas.
Record inspections and collections.
5. Exclude restricted land
Class BC does not apply to certain locations.
Check whether your proposed site is:
- A Scheduled Monument.
- A Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- A safety hazard area.
- A military explosives storage area.
- A listed building site or its curtilage.
- Land affected by another protected designation.
Also check for:
- Special Areas of Conservation.
- Special Protection Areas.
- Ramsar sites.
- National Park controls.
- National Landscape controls.
- Article 4 Directions.
- Planning conditions that remove permitted development rights.
Use the MAGIC mapping system to check environmental designations.
Ask your local planning authority for written advice where the boundary is unclear.
Annual notification to the local planning authority
You must notify the local planning authority in writing before the campsite starts in each calendar year.
Include:
- Your site plan.
- The location of each toilet facility.
- The location of each waste disposal facility.
- The dates when the site will be in use.
The council must pass the notice to the relevant fire and rescue authority where needed.
This is not the same as a full planning application.
It is not the same as prior approval.
It is still a legal condition.
Submit the paperwork in January or February for a summer season.
Do not wait until the week before opening.
Keep:
- A copy of the notice.
- The final site plan.
- Proof of delivery.
- The proposed operating dates.
- Any council response.
- Your pitch register.
- Your facilities records.
Flood Zone 2 or 3 requires prior approval
Check flood risk before choosing the field.
Use the GOV.UK long-term flood risk service.
If your land is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3, prior approval is required before the campsite starts in each calendar year.
Submit the prior approval application to the local planning authority.
Include:
- A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment.
- Warning arrangements.
- An evacuation plan.
- Your site plan.
- Your operating dates.
- The required fee, if applicable.
Show:
- Pitch locations.
- Toilets.
- Waste facilities.
- Site access.
- Emergency routes.
- Evacuation points.
- Safe areas outside the flood risk.
The council must consult the Environment Agency.
The statutory decision period is 56 days.
The 56-day period is not an extra campsite allowance. It is the council’s decision period.
Do not open while an application is under review.
Development must not begin until you receive written prior approval, or until 56 days have passed without the council notifying you whether approval is granted or refused.
Build this time into your seasonal plan.
Plan the campsite before buying equipment
Start with the land.
Do not start with the tent stock.
Walk the site in wet weather and dry weather.
Check:
- Vehicle access.
- Emergency access.
- Ground conditions.
- Drainage.
- Water supply.
- Nearby homes.
- Public rights of way.
- Farm machinery routes.
- Livestock areas.
- Waste collection access.
- Fire response access.
- Noise and lighting.
- Mobile phone coverage.
Keep guests away from working farm areas.
Separate arrivals from machinery movements.
Protect gates and field boundaries.
Use a clear entrance.
Keep an emergency route open at all times.
Create a useful site plan
Your plan should be clear enough for the council and your site team.
Show:
- The site boundary.
- Each pitch.
- Pitch numbers.
- Tent and campervan areas.
- Toilets.
- Waste disposal.
- Vehicle access.
- Emergency access.
- Parking.
- Water points.
- Nearby roads.
- Public rights of way.
- Buildings and homes.
- Watercourses.
- Any flood evacuation route.
Use the same plan for:
- Your annual LPA notification.
- Guest instructions.
- Emergency planning.
- Staff briefings.
- Site inspections.
Update the plan if you move facilities or change the pitch layout.
Keep planning and licensing separate
Planning permission and site licensing are different.
Class BC does not remove other legal duties.
Check the position with your local authority before you take bookings.
Ask about:
- Camping or caravan site licensing.
- Public health requirements.
- Waste arrangements.
- Fire safety.
- Water supply.
- Electrical safety.
- Food safety.
- Public liability insurance.
- Business rates.
- Access and highways.
- Environmental health.
Motorhomes and campervans may create separate licensing questions.
Towed caravans follow different rules under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960.
Do not assume that Class BC covers every unit on wheels.
Use the 60 days as a business plan
Farm diversification camping works best when the calendar matches the land.
Plan your income around:
- School holidays.
- Weekend demand.
- Local events.
- Walking routes.
- Wildlife seasons.
- Farm activity.
- Ground recovery periods.
- Staff availability.
- Waste collections.
Possible offers include:
- Tent-only pitches.
- Campervan pitches.
- Small group camping.
- Guided hiking weekends.
- Wildlife stays.
- Corporate team activities.
- Farm-to-table packages.
- Pub or hotel camping links.
Keep the offer within the legal limits.
Do not advertise more dates than your annual calendar allows.
Do not accept bookings that push the site beyond 60 days.
England and Wales use different rules
Class BC applies to England.
Do not use an England checklist for a Welsh site.
From 1 September 2026, Wales uses Class BA.
Under the Welsh rules:
- Sites outside specified protected areas may operate for up to 60 days.
- Sites in National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or World Heritage Sites may be limited to 28 days.
- Flood Zones 2 and 3 are excluded.
- Several protected areas are excluded.
- A yearly determination process applies.
- Toilet, wastewater, waste and access details must be submitted.
Read the Welsh legislation and contact the relevant Welsh planning authority.
The 28-day rule still matters in Wales, but the current Class BA process changes how temporary camping works.
Your Class BC checklist
Follow this order:
- Confirm that the land is in England.
- Check the site boundary.
- Check protected designations.
- Check Flood Zone 2 and Flood Zone 3 status.
- Plan no more than 50 pitches.
- Plan no more than 60 operating days.
- Exclude regular towed caravans.
- Choose moveable facilities.
- Provide toilets and waste disposal.
- Prepare a clear site plan.
- Prepare a Flood Risk Assessment if needed.
- Prepare an evacuation plan if needed.
- Submit prior approval if required.
- Notify the LPA in writing every calendar year.
- Check licensing and insurance.
- Record each operating day.
- Keep all documents in one compliance file.
Start your farm diversification camping plan
Class BC can support a legal temporary campsite in England.
The rules are clear.
The preparation must be exact.
Open Sky Adventure helps landowners understand camping legislation UK 2026, permitted development rights campsite UK requirements and the steps needed to operate safely.
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This article gives general information for farmers, rural landowners and hospitality businesses in England. It is not legal or planning advice. Check your proposal with the relevant local planning authority before operating.