Meta description: Learn how prior approval works for campsites in 2026, including Class BC camping in England, Class BA camping in Wales, flood zones, the 100m buffer and the application pack.
Hello, farmer, pub owner, hotel owner or rural landowner. Your land may support a temporary campsite.
Check the route first.
The process differs between England and Wales.
This guide explains the prior approval steps, the documents to submit, the dates to count and the mistakes to avoid.
Read the Open Sky Adventure legal guides before you open.
Prior approval campsite rules in 2026
Permitted development rights can allow temporary camping without a full planning application.
They do not remove every planning duty.
You must still:
- Check the correct national rules.
- Confirm your land qualifies.
- Submit the required notice or application.
- Provide safe toilets and waste arrangements.
- Keep within the approved site plan.
- Count every day of campsite use.
The route changes by country.
In England, the key route is Class BC camping England.
In Wales, the key route is Class BA camping Wales.
The old 28-day rule is not the full answer in 2026.
Class BC camping England: prior approval in Flood Zones 2 and 3
Class BC permits a temporary recreational campsite for up to 60 days in a calendar year, with up to 50 pitches.
It does not permit caravans, except for the limited festival situation set out in the legislation.
The important prior approval trigger is simple.
The proposed campsite land must be in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
Being near a flood zone is not the same.
Being within 100 metres of a flood zone is not the Class BC trigger.
There is no 100m campsite buffer in the England Class BC rule.
Read the Class BC legislation and check the Flood Map for Planning.
What to submit for an England prior approval application
Submit the application to your local planning authority before the campsite use begins.
Include:
- A site-specific flood risk assessment.
- Warning arrangements for campers.
- Evacuation arrangements.
- A site plan.
- The proposed operating dates.
- Toilet and waste arrangements.
- Access and emergency access details.
- The required fee, if charged by the authority.
The flood risk assessment must fit your site.
Do not submit a generic flood document.
Show:
- The site location.
- Flood zones.
- Rivers, streams and drainage features.
- Ground levels where relevant.
- Access and escape routes.
- Flood warning methods.
- Evacuation destinations.
- How you will manage surface water.
- How you will protect campers during a flood.
Use the Environment Agency flood risk assessment guidance as your starting point.
Contact the Environment Agency or your local planning authority early if the site sits beside a main river.
You may need other flood risk permissions.
The Environment Agency consultation
The local planning authority must notify and consult the Environment Agency.
The consultation response period must be at least 21 days.
The authority must consider the Environment Agency response when it decides the application.
Build this time into your opening plan.
Do not book campers for the first week after submission.
The England 56-day decision period
The Class BC decision period is 56 days from the date the local planning authority receives the application.
You cannot start the campsite until either:
- You receive written prior approval, or
- 56 days pass without the authority notifying you whether prior approval is granted or refused.
Keep proof of submission.
Record the date the authority received the application.
Ask for written confirmation.
Do not rely on an email draft or an incomplete application.
The prior approval process applies again in each calendar year that the land is used in Flood Zones 2 or 3.
A previous approval does not automatically cover the next year.
Class BA camping Wales: the annual determination process
Wales uses a different process.
You must apply each calendar year for a determination of whether prior approval is required.
Use the Welsh Government temporary campsite guidance and the Welsh determination form.
Your notification should include:
- The site address or accurate site description.
- A location plan.
- The pitch layout.
- Numbered pitches.
- Toilets and wastewater facilities.
- Waste storage and disposal.
- Access from the public highway.
- Emergency access.
- Proposed operating dates.
- The relevant site limits.
- Any supporting transport information.
The authority has 28 days to decide whether prior approval is required.
There are two main outcomes.
If prior approval is not required
You may operate in line with the details submitted.
This also applies if the authority does not respond within the 28-day window.
Keep your submission and proof of delivery.
Operate only within the dates, layout, access and facilities shown.
If prior approval is required
The authority should tell you what further information it needs.
Submit the requested information.
Wait for the written decision.
The authority should decide the prior approval application within eight weeks.
Do not open during this stage.
Do not treat the first 28-day determination as approval to operate if the authority has required further prior approval.
Highway and transport assessments in Wales
Transport matters sit at the centre of Class BA.
The authority must consider whether the campsite is likely to create:
- A material increase in traffic.
- A material change in the character of traffic.
- Unsafe access.
- Poor visibility.
- Queues on the public highway.
- Conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians.
Prepare a short transport or access statement where risk exists.
Show the access width.
Show visibility splays where relevant.
Show vehicle routes.
Show parking and turning areas.
Show how campers will wait without blocking the highway.
The legislation may not demand a document called a “Transport Assessment” for every site.
The authority can still request enough information to assess highway impacts.
The 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule
The 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule is Wales-only.
It is not an England Class BC rule.
Class BA does not allow campsite land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling, except for an existing private way used for access or egress.
A protected dwelling means a dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
Do not count only the nearest pitch.
Check the whole area proposed for camping.
Measure from the protected dwelling to the nearest part of the proposed campsite land.
Use a scaled plan.
Show:
- The dwelling.
- The campsite boundary.
- A 100m measurement line or radius.
- The nearest point of camping land.
- Any private access way.
- The proposed pitches and facilities.
Keep the measurement method clear.
Use a site survey, mapping software or a scaled plan.
Ask a planning professional to check the plan if the distance is close.
What to do if your land falls inside the buffer
You have practical choices.
Rotate the pitches.
Keep the campsite boundary away from the dwelling, move pitches to the far side and retain the access route.
Shift the site.
Use another field or a smaller part of the holding.
Use a full planning application.
If the land you need sits inside the 100m restriction, Class BA is not the route for that area.
Do not try to solve the problem by leaving the buffer line off the plan.
That creates a compliance risk.
Build a strong campsite application pack
A clear pack helps the authority understand your proposal.
Use one consistent site plan.
Number every pitch.
Mark every facility.
Your pack should contain:
Site plan
Show the site boundary, field boundaries, nearby dwellings, roads, watercourses, pitches, facilities and emergency routes.
Use a scale.
Add a north arrow.
Add a drawing number and date.
Toilets and wastewater
Show toilet locations.
Explain capacity.
Explain cleaning.
Explain wastewater storage and removal.
Do not leave disposal arrangements vague.
Waste
Show refuse points.
Explain collection dates.
Separate recycling where possible.
Name your waste contractor if you have one.
Access
Show the public highway.
Show the site entrance.
Show visibility, parking, turning and internal routes.
Keep emergency access clear.
Dates and day records
List the proposed operating dates.
Count the days used.
Record when facilities are installed.
Remember, a day can count even when no camper is present if the land remains in campsite use.
Fee and submission record
Check the authority’s current fee position.
England may require a fee.
The current Welsh Government guidance states that there is no planning fee for the Class BA notification and prior approval process, but check the latest local instructions.
Keep:
- The submitted form.
- The plans.
- The fee receipt or fee confirmation.
- The delivery email.
- The authority acknowledgement.
- The decision letter.
- Any consultee response.
- Your day-count record.
Stay within the approved details
Do not move the entrance without checking.
Do not add pitches without checking.
Do not change wastewater arrangements without checking.
Do not use different operating dates without written confirmation.
In Wales, a material change can trigger a new notification.
Examples include:
- Increasing pitch numbers.
- Changing site access.
- Changing waste or wastewater disposal.
- Moving the campsite boundary.
A smaller number of pitches may be less likely to be material, but keep records.
If unsure, ask the authority before changing the site.
Why applications stall or fail
The plan is unclear
Fix it: Use a scale, number the pitches, mark facilities and show the highway.
The flood assessment is generic
Fix it: Prepare a site-specific assessment with warning and evacuation arrangements.
The applicant misses the Wales buffer
Fix it: Identify every protected dwelling, measure 100 metres and show the result.
The access creates highway concerns
Fix it: Add visibility, parking, turning, traffic numbers and emergency access details.
The waste plan is too vague
Fix it: State who collects waste, where it is stored, how often it is removed and how wastewater is handled.
The operator starts too early
Fix it: Wait for written approval in England, or wait for the Welsh determination and any required eight-week approval.
The site plan changes after approval
Fix it: Submit a new notification or seek written confirmation before operating the revised layout.
Final checklist for landowners
Before you submit, confirm:
- You know whether the site is in England or Wales.
- You have checked permitted development rights.
- You have checked flood zones.
- You have checked Article 4 Directions and restrictive conditions.
- You have checked the Wales-only 100m buffer where relevant.
- You have numbered the pitches.
- You have shown toilets, wastewater and waste.
- You have shown highway access and emergency access.
- You have listed operating dates.
- You have prepared the correct flood or transport information.
- You know when you can lawfully open.
- You have a system for recording days and changes.
For related guidance, read Prior Approval for Campsites UK 2026 and The 100m Buffer Zone in Wales.
You can also contact Open Sky Adventure about your land, application pack and licensed camping options.
Join the Open Sky Adventure group and sign up on the website. We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.