Meta description: Understand Class BC camping in England, Class BA camping in Wales, the 100m buffer, the 60-day rule and prior approval for rural businesses.
Hello, landowner. Your land may support a campsite. Check the rules first.
Camping legislation UK 2026 is different in England and Wales. The old 28-day advice is no longer enough.
England uses Class BC for temporary recreational campsites. Wales uses Class BA.
The process also differs.
Use this guide before you invest, advertise pitches or accept bookings.
This article is a practical guide, not legal advice. Check the current rules with your Local Planning Authority, licensing team and professional adviser.
The rules at a glance
| Issue | England | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Main permitted development right | Class BC | Class BA |
| Standard annual limit | 60 days | 60 days |
| Protected landscape limit | Check local restrictions | 28 days |
| Pitch limit | Up to 50 pitches | No equivalent limit stated |
| 100m buffer | No national Class BC buffer | Applies to protected dwellings |
| Annual process | Written notification | Determination application |
| Prior approval | Flood Zones 2 and 3 | Required if the council says it is needed |
| Towed caravans | Not covered | Not covered |
Read the official Class BC legislation and official Class BA legislation.
What happened to the 28-day rule?
The old 28-day rule causes confusion.
In England, ordinary temporary camping no longer relies on the general Class B route. That route changed after the transition period ended on 25 July 2024.
Use Class BC camping England rules for a standard farm campsite, pub campsite or hotel campsite.
Class B still has a narrower role for camping linked to a festival. It is not the normal route for independent recreational camping.
Wales now has Class BA for temporary recreational campsites.
The 28-day period still matters in Wales, but in two different ways:
- A campsite in a National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or World Heritage Site may operate for only 28 days per calendar year.
- The Local Planning Authority has 28 days to respond to a Class BA determination application.
Do not confuse the Welsh 28-day decision period with the operating limit.
Do not add 28 days to 60 days.
Count all operating days within the relevant calendar year.
Class BC camping in England
Class BC is the main permitted development rights campsite UK route for England.
It allows you to:
- Use land as a recreational campsite for up to 60 days in one calendar year
- Provide up to 50 pitches
- Use tents, motorhomes and campervans
- Provide moveable structures reasonably needed for the campsite
The 60 days do not need to be consecutive.
You could operate:
- Every weekend in summer
- During school holidays
- For one 60-day block
- Across several shorter periods
Keep a day-by-day log.
Record opening dates, closing dates and any days when pitches remain available. Do not rely on booking records alone.
Class BC does not cover traditional towed caravans. A motorhome or campervan may qualify where it meets the legal definition of a motor vehicle designed or adapted for human habitation.
England notification requirements
You must notify your Local Planning Authority in writing before the campsite starts in each calendar year.
Send:
- A clear site plan
- The proposed operating dates
- Pitch locations
- Toilet locations
- Waste disposal facilities
- Site access
- Emergency access
Mark nearby homes, boundaries, parking areas and internal routes.
Keep:
- Your submitted notice
- Proof of delivery
- The site plan
- The council response
- Your operating day log
- Facility servicing records
Class BC also requires on-site toilet and waste disposal facilities.
Portable toilets, waste units and a moveable reception hut may fit the permitted development route. Permanent buildings, hardstanding, fixed shower blocks and new roads may need separate planning permission.
When does an English prior approval campsite application apply?
Class BC prior approval applies when any part of the proposed campsite sits in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
You must apply before opening in that calendar year.
Prepare:
- A site plan.
- A site-specific flood risk assessment.
- Flood warning arrangements.
- An evacuation plan.
- Details of access and emergency access.
- Toilet and waste information.
- The required fee.
The Local Planning Authority must consult the Environment Agency.
You cannot start until:
- You receive written prior approval, or
- 56 days pass after the valid application is received without the council notifying you of its decision
Apply again for each calendar year.
Use the Planning Portal prior approval form for temporary recreational campsites.
A flood zone does not simply create an extra step. It can affect the viability of the whole site.
Show how guests will receive warnings. Show where they will go. Keep access routes clear. Give the council information it can assess.
England has no national 100m buffer
Class BC does not contain a national 100-metre buffer from homes.
That does not mean you should place pitches beside a neighbour’s garden.
Manage:
- Noise
- Lighting
- Vehicle movements
- Privacy
- Waste
- Fire risk
- Guest behaviour
- Complaints
Map nearby dwellings anyway.
Place pitches away from boundaries where possible. Set quiet hours. Keep vehicle movements controlled. Speak to neighbours before opening.
This is good site management. It is not the same as a legal 100m buffer.
Class BA camping in Wales
Wales uses Class BA for temporary recreational campsites.
The standard limit is:
- Up to 60 days per calendar year on most land
- Up to 28 days per calendar year in a National Park, AONB or World Heritage Site
Class BA also allows moveable structures reasonably needed for the campsite.
It does not cover traditional towed caravans.
Class BA cannot be used on several sensitive sites, including:
- Scheduled monuments
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- Ramsar sites
- Special Areas of Conservation
- Special Protection Areas
- Sites of listed buildings
- Flood Zones 2 and 3
- Safety hazard areas
- Military explosives storage areas
Check for an Article 4 Direction. This may remove permitted development rights in a local area.
Apply the 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule
The Welsh 100m buffer is central to Class BA.
You cannot use land under Class BA 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.
Map every nearby dwelling before you design the site.
Mark the 100-metre area on your plan. Use a conservative measurement. Ask your Local Planning Authority how it wants the distance measured.
Keep the restricted area out of:
- Pitches
- Toilets
- Waste facilities
- Parking
- Campsite amenities
- Other campsite infrastructure
Prior approval does not remove the buffer.
If the usable land is too small for safe access, facilities and emergency routes, choose another field or seek full planning permission.
Follow the Welsh prior approval process
Class BA uses an annual two-stage process.
Stage one: submit a determination application
Before beginning each year, apply to your Local Planning Authority for a determination.
Ask whether prior approval is required.
Include:
- A site plan
- Pitch and amenity locations
- Toilet and wastewater arrangements
- Waste disposal arrangements
- Highway access
- Emergency access
- Operating dates
- Any required fee
The council must respond within 28 days with either:
- Written notice that prior approval is not required, or
- Notice that the application is invalid or incomplete, or
- A decision that prior approval is required
The council must determine that prior approval is required where the proposal may create a material increase or material change in local traffic.
Stage two: submit the prior approval application
If the council requires prior approval, submit the further Class BA application.
The council may request information about:
- Traffic
- Highway safety
- Access width
- Turning areas
- Waste collection
- Toilets
- Wastewater
- Site management
Do not open until you receive written prior approval.
Follow the approved details. Do not change pitch locations, access routes or facilities without checking the effect on your permission.
Read the Welsh Government guidance on temporary recreational campsites.
Practical strategies for farms, pubs and hotels
For farmers
Start with a field review.
Check flood zones, environmental designations, nearby homes, livestock routes and emergency access.
Keep the campsite separate from animal areas. Plan waste collection. Protect watercourses. Mark public rights of way.
Use the project as part of a wider farm diversification camping plan. Start with a manageable number of pitches. Track the cost of toilets, waste, insurance and staffing.
For pubs
Use your existing toilets, parking and food offer carefully.
Check whether the pub or its land is listed. Class BC excludes land on a site of a listed building. Its curtilage may also raise separate planning issues.
Control guest movement between the field and the pub. Set quiet hours. Separate campsite traffic from delivery vehicles.
Check licensing, fire safety and alcohol responsibilities before opening.
For hotels
Use existing access and management systems where possible.
Review guest parking, emergency routes, wastewater, lighting and night-time noise.
Do not assume that a hotel’s existing planning permission covers a new campsite. Check whether the campsite is a separate planning use.
Prepare a clear site plan before you spend on facilities.
Planning permission is not the only requirement
Class BC or Class BA permitted development rights do not remove every legal duty.
Check whether you need:
- A campsite or caravan site licence
- Public liability insurance
- Fire safety controls
- Waste contracts
- Water and wastewater approvals
- Septic tank permissions
- Electrical safety checks
- Food registration
- Environmental permissions
- Outdoor activity risk assessments
A campsite can fall within separate licensing thresholds if it operates for more than 42 consecutive days or beyond 60 days in a calendar year. Speak to your local licensing team before taking bookings.
Keep one compliance file.
Store your plans, applications, approvals, insurance documents, inspection records and operating day logs together.
Your 2026 campsite checklist
Before investing:
- Confirm whether the land is in England or Wales.
- Check Class BC or Class BA eligibility.
- Check the annual day limit.
- Check flood zones.
- Check protected landscapes.
- Check environmental designations.
- Check for Article 4 Directions.
- Map nearby dwellings.
- Apply the Welsh 100m buffer where relevant.
- Contact planning and licensing teams.
- Speak to your insurer.
Before opening:
- Draw a scaled site plan.
- Mark pitches and facilities.
- Plan toilets and waste.
- Plan wastewater.
- Keep emergency access clear.
- Submit the England notification or Welsh determination application.
- Apply for prior approval where required.
- Wait for written approval where required.
- Keep every document.
During operation:
- Count every operating day.
- Stay within the pitch limit in England.
- Keep access routes clear.
- Check facilities daily.
- Remove waste on schedule.
- Record incidents.
- Manage noise and lighting.
- Protect livestock and wildlife.
- Close the site if conditions become unsafe.
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