Meta description suggestion: Learn how Class BC camping England rules work in 2026, including the 60-day rule, prior approval, flood zones, site design, licensing and farm diversification income.
Hello, farmer, pub owner, hotel operator or rural landowner.
Your land may support a temporary campsite.
Class BC permitted development rights can allow camping for up to 60 days each calendar year. You must follow the rules. You must also design the site for safety, simple management and strong guest reviews.
Use this guide to plan your site.
What Class BC permits in England
Class BC sits within Part 4 of Schedule 2 of the General Permitted Development Order.
It allows you to use land as a temporary recreational campsite.
The main points are:
- Use the land for up to 60 days in total each calendar year.
- Provide up to 50 pitches.
- Use tents, campervans and motorhomes.
- Use moveable structures needed for the campsite.
- Provide toilets and waste disposal facilities.
- Notify the local planning authority before use each year.
- Apply for prior approval if any part of the site sits in Flood Zone 2 or 3.
Class BC can apply to agricultural land and other land. Check the restrictions first.
The right does not allow permanent buildings. It does not grant permission for permanent toilet blocks, fixed roads, hardstanding or other major engineering works.
Keep structures moveable. Check separate planning requirements before installing permanent facilities.
Class BC also does not cover every site. Check for:
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
- Scheduled monuments.
- Listed building curtilage.
- Safety hazard areas.
- Military explosives areas.
- Article 4 Directions.
- Conditions on existing planning permissions.
Read the government legislation and ask your local planning authority to confirm the position for your site.
The 28-day rule and the 60-day rule
Do not confuse the old 28-day rule with Class BC.
The 28-day rule allowed temporary use of land for up to 28 days each calendar year. It was not a camping-specific right.
Class BC creates a specific temporary campsite route in England. It allows up to 60 days, subject to its own conditions.
Class BC applies in England only. Wales has separate planning rules. Do not use an England-based Class BC plan for Welsh land.
If you operate outside Class BC, review the relevant planning and licensing rules before taking bookings. See the Open Sky Adventure legal information for further guidance.
Notify the council before you open
You must notify the local planning authority in writing before the campsite starts each calendar year.
Your notification should include:
- Your site address.
- A clear site plan.
- Pitch locations.
- Toilet locations.
- Waste disposal locations.
- The dates when the campsite will operate.
- Details of access and parking where relevant.
The council must pass the notification to the relevant fire and rescue authority if required.
Do not open first and notify later.
Keep a copy of the notification, the site plan and the delivery receipt. Store them with your campsite records.
Prior approval campsite route for Flood Zones 2 and 3
Flood risk changes the process.
If any part of the proposed campsite is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3, you need prior approval from the local planning authority before you start.
You must apply again for each calendar year that you want to operate.
Submit:
- A site plan.
- A site-specific flood risk assessment.
- Flood warning arrangements.
- An evacuation plan.
- The required fee.
- Any supporting information requested by the council.
The local planning authority must consult the Environment Agency. The consultation normally allows at least 21 days for a response.
The LPA has 56 days to decide.
Do not start camping until:
- You receive written prior approval, or
- 56 days pass without the council notifying you that approval has been refused or granted.
The 56-day decision period is separate from the 60-day operating limit.
Use the 56 days for approval planning. Do not treat it as extra campsite time.
Read the Open Sky Adventure Class BC prior approval guide before preparing your application.
Design the site for compliance and reviews
A legal site can still earn poor reviews.
Plan the guest journey before you accept bookings.
Place pitches on suitable ground
Choose ground that is:
- Well drained.
- Away from watercourses.
- Away from steep edges.
- Clear of farm machinery routes.
- Easy to reach.
- Simple to supervise.
- Safe during poor weather.
Avoid low ground where water collects.
Keep pitches away from unstable trees, stock areas and active farm operations. Separate guest space from working areas with clear signs and fencing where needed.
Do not place every pitch beside the entrance. Create space for arrival, parking and turning.
Keep access simple
Provide one clear entrance.
Mark the route from the public road. Keep the track wide enough for emergency access. Provide a turning point where needed.
Separate vehicles from tents where practical. Use a parking area rather than allowing cars to sit beside every pitch.
Do not install permanent hardstanding without checking whether separate planning permission is needed.
Mark pedestrian routes. Keep emergency access clear at all times.
Provide toilets and water
Class BC requires on-site toilets and waste disposal facilities.
The law does not set one universal toilet number for every site. Your provision must still suit the number of guests, the pitch layout and the operating period.
Use moveable facilities where appropriate.
Plan for:
- Toilets.
- Handwashing.
- Drinking water.
- Grey water disposal.
- General waste.
- Recycling.
- Safe storage before collection.
- Cleaning access.
Place toilets where guests can find them quickly. Keep them away from watercourses and food preparation areas.
Give guests clear instructions. Check the facilities each day.
Build in fire controls
Create a simple fire plan.
Set rules for:
- Barbecues.
- Campfires.
- Gas equipment.
- Smoking.
- Firewood.
- Dry weather restrictions.
- Emergency reporting.
Keep fire points visible. Provide suitable extinguishers where required. Keep combustible waste away from guest areas.
Do not rely on one sign. Brief guests at arrival and include the rules in the booking information.
Make the layout easy to understand
Use a site map.
Show:
- Pitches.
- Parking.
- Toilets.
- Water.
- Waste.
- Fire points.
- Emergency access.
- Assembly points.
- Quiet areas.
- Walking routes.
A clear layout reduces questions. It also supports your annual notification and any prior approval application.
Maximise the 60-day campsite window
The 60 days do not need to run consecutively.
You can split them across the calendar year.
Use a simple operating plan. For example:
- Easter weekends.
- May half-term.
- Summer weekends.
- School holidays.
- Autumn walking breaks.
- Local event dates.
- Pub or hotel packages.
- Corporate team stays.
The 60-day limit applies to the site. It is not 60 days per pitch.
Track every operating day. Do not assume that each pitch has its own allowance.
You can open for a long block. You can also open for selected weekends. Compare both options before publishing dates.
Use demand data from each period. Record:
- Bookings.
- Occupancy.
- Average price.
- Cleaning cost.
- Waste cost.
- Guest complaints.
- Review scores.
- Weather disruption.
- Staff hours.
Then remove dates that create work without enough income.
Use the remaining dates for periods with demand. This turns temporary camping into a clearer farm diversification plan.
Do not exceed 60 days. Do not extend the season informally. Update your records before adding new dates.
Check licensing and other duties
Class BC is a planning route. It is not a campsite licence.
Contact your local authority about licensing before opening. A licence may be needed if you operate for more than 42 consecutive days or beyond 60 days in total in a calendar year.
Also check:
- Environmental health requirements.
- Drinking water arrangements.
- Waste collection.
- Fire safety.
- Public liability insurance.
- Food registration if you serve food.
- Accessibility.
- Business rates.
- Employment and contractor duties.
A compliant operation needs more than planning permission.
Keep written records. Review the site after every operating period.
Why work with Open Sky Adventure?
Open Sky Adventure helps landowners assess opportunities, understand camping legislation UK 2026 and build a workable compliance plan.
We help you connect the legal route with the practical operation.
That can include:
- Land and site information.
- Planning route checks.
- 28-day rule guidance.
- Class BC process support.
- Site layout planning.
- Flood-zone preparation.
- Facility planning.
- Guest safety systems.
- Licensed camping support.
- Ongoing operating guidance.
We work with farmers, pubs, hotels and rural businesses that want to use land without losing control of the operation.
Start with the farm diversification camping guide. Then contact Open Sky Adventure with your site address, location pin and proposed use.
Class BC campsite checklist
Before you accept your first booking:
- Confirm the land is eligible.
- Check the flood zone.
- Check protected designations.
- Check Article 4 restrictions.
- Set your 60 operating days.
- Prepare the site plan.
- Locate toilets and waste facilities.
- Plan water and fire controls.
- Notify the LPA.
- Apply for prior approval if needed.
- Check campsite licensing.
- Record every operating day.
- Review the operation after each period.
Use the rules. Design the site properly. Track the days.
Then turn unused land into a controlled farm diversification income stream.
Join the Open Sky Adventure group, review the legal guidance, and sign up through the website.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.