Hello, landowners, farmers and hospitality businesses.
Planning rules for temporary campsites in Wales changed in 2026. Class BA now provides a new permitted development route for recreational campsites.
Use it carefully.
This guide explains the Class BA camping rules in Wales, the 100m buffer zone, the prior approval campsite process, and the main limits you must check.
This is a practical guide. It is not legal advice. Check your local planning authority before you act.
What Class BA allows
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (Wales) Order 2026, WSI 2026/79, introduced Class BA.
The Order came into force on 1 June 2026.
The former camping provisions under Class B cease on 1 September 2026. From that date, Class BA becomes the main permitted development route for temporary recreational campsites in Wales.
Class BA allows:
- Use of ordinary land as a recreational campsite for up to 60 days in each calendar year
- Use of land in a National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or World Heritage Site for up to 28 days in each calendar year
- Moveable structures reasonably necessary for the campsite use
- A campsite with no fixed cap on the number of pitches under Class BA itself
The 60-day rule applies to ordinary land.
The 28-day rule applies in places such as:
- Eryri, also known as Snowdonia National Park
- Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
- Bannau Brycheiniog, also known as the Brecon Beacons
- Gower AONB
- Other National Parks, AONBs and World Heritage Sites
The days do not need to be consecutive.
You can operate over separate weekends, subject to the yearly total.
Count every day when the site is available for camping. Count days when no guest is present if camping facilities remain on the land.
Count temporary structures left on site towards the day allowance.
Set out your dates before you apply.
Class B now excludes most camping
Class B still covers temporary use of land for up to 28 days in some cases.
However, from 1 September 2026, Class B excludes camping unless it is connected with a festival.
Festival camping can still work under Class B.
Ordinary temporary camping must use Class BA, another permitted development right, or a full planning application.
The 100m buffer zone
Class BA does not permit campsite development within 100 metres of a protected dwelling.
A protected dwelling means:
- A dwellinghouse or flat
- Occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator
The private way exception applies.
An existing private way can fall within the 100m area where you have a legal right to use it for access to or from your land.
Do not treat the exception as permission to place pitches near a home.
Keep the campsite area outside the buffer.
That includes:
- Pitches
- Toilets
- Wastewater facilities
- Waste storage
- Parking
- Campsite amenities
- Other land used for the campsite
Prior approval cannot remove the 100m restriction.
Do not apply and hope the council accepts the layout. Design around the buffer first.
How to check the 100m buffer
Use this simple method.
1. List nearby homes
Walk the site boundary.
Record each nearby dwellinghouse or flat.
Identify who occupies each property. The key question is whether the occupier is someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
2. Measure from the curtilage
Measure from the dwelling’s curtilage, not from the road.
Do not measure from the nearest highway line.
Use the council’s planning maps and available Welsh Government address data. Check the site on an accurate base map.
3. Draw the buffer
Create a 100m buffer around each protected dwelling.
Show the buffer on your campsite plan.
Mark:
- Pitches
- Toilets
- Wastewater facilities
- Waste storage
- Parking
- Access
- Other amenities
Keep all campsite use outside the buffer, apart from an eligible private way.
4. Ask neighbours in writing
Write to nearby occupiers.
Explain the proposed use.
Ask whether they occupy the dwelling and keep their replies.
Their agreement does not cancel the statutory buffer. Keep the records as part of your site file.
5. Change the field layout
If only part of your field is affected, shrink the pitch area.
Rotate the layout if needed.
Move facilities away from the buffer.
Do not place one pitch inside the restricted area and assume the rest of the site remains lawful.
When Class BA cannot be used
Class BA cannot be used on or in the following locations:
- A scheduled monument
- A special area of conservation
- A safety hazard area
- A military explosives storage area
- A site of special scientific interest
- A Ramsar site
- A site of a listed building
- A special protection area
- Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3
- Land within 100m of a protected dwelling, except for an eligible private way
Class BA also does not cover the siting of ordinary towable touring caravans.
The caravan exception is narrow.
It covers a motorhome or campervan adapted for human habitation and used as a motor vehicle.
It does not cover a normal touring caravan towed onto the field.
Check caravan planning rules separately.
Also check whether your council has made an Article 4 direction. This can remove permitted development rights locally.
Check your council’s list before you prepare a site.
Prior approval campsite process
You must apply for a determination before starting the campsite use in each calendar year.
This is the first stage.
Step 1: Prepare the site information
Prepare a clear site plan.
Show:
- Toilet and wastewater facilities
- Waste disposal facilities
- Pitch locations
- Amenities
- Access from the highway
- Dates when the site will be used
- The 100m buffer zones
- The location of nearby protected dwellings
Include enough detail for the authority to understand the operation.
Show how guests will enter, park and leave.
Explain how you will store and remove waste.
Explain how you will manage wastewater.
Step 2: Apply to the local planning authority
Use the Welsh Government temporary recreational campsite determination form.
Submit it through the local authority or the Planning Portal Wales prior approval route.
The application must include the site plan and any fee required.
The current Welsh Government guidance says there is no fee for this process. Check before submitting.
Step 3: Wait for the 28-day response
Under paragraph BA.3, the authority must respond within 28 days.
It must issue either:
- Written notice that prior approval is not required, or
- Written notice that the application does not comply with the required information or fee rules, or
- Written notice that prior approval is required
The authority must determine that prior approval is required if it considers the campsite likely to cause:
- A material increase in traffic, or
- A material change in the character of traffic near the site
Do not start early.
You can start only when one of these events happens:
- You receive written notice that prior approval is not required
- 28 days pass without a valid response or non-compliance notice
- Prior approval is required, you submit the second application, and written approval is granted
Step 4: Submit the prior approval application
If the authority says prior approval is required, submit the requested details.
The authority can request more information.
This can include impact assessments or risk assessments.
The authority may examine:
- Wastewater pollution risk
- Storage capacity
- Waste nuisance
- Waste collection
- Recycling arrangements
- Highway visibility
- Vehicle movements
- Queues near the highway
- Access safety
Step 5: Allow consultation
For traffic matters, the authority must consult the relevant highway authority where the traffic impact meets the legal trigger.
This can include:
- The trunk road authority
- The local highway authority
- The railway network operator where a level crossing is involved
- Welsh Ministers where a level crossing is involved
The authority may also consult the Schedule 4 consultees.
It must wait at least 21 days after consultation before deciding.
It must consider the representations received.
It can grant prior approval:
- Without conditions, or
- With conditions reasonably related to the approval matter
Operate only in line with the approved details.
Build less, plan more
Class BA permits moveable structures reasonably necessary for the temporary campsite.
It does not give permission for permanent works.
You may need separate planning permission for:
- Hardstanding
- New tracks
- Permanent toilet blocks
- Fixed buildings
- Permanent service connections
- New access works
- Other operational development
Remove temporary facilities when the campsite is not in use.
Planning permission, licensing and exemption certificates
Planning permission is separate from a caravan site licence.
It is also separate from camping exemption certificates.
Some organisations, including the Scout Association and Camping & Caravanning Club, may operate under exemption arrangements for tented camping.
These arrangements can allow camping without a site licence or planning permission, subject to their rules.
They do not permit operational development.
You cannot rely on an exemption certificate to build:
- Hardstanding
- Tracks
- Permanent toilet blocks
- Fixed campsite buildings
Check both planning law and licensing law before opening.
Simple Class BA checklist
Use this checklist for each calendar year.
- Confirm the land is in Wales
- Check whether the land has a 60-day or 28-day limit
- Check National Park, AONB and World Heritage Site boundaries
- Check Article 4 directions
- Check all Class BA exclusion zones
- Identify every protected dwelling
- Map each 100m buffer from the dwelling’s curtilage
- Design pitches outside the buffers
- Check whether the access is a private way
- Exclude ordinary towable caravans
- Prepare toilet and wastewater details
- Prepare waste disposal details
- Prepare highway access details
- List pitches and amenities
- List all dates of use
- Submit the determination application before starting
- Wait for the council’s response
- Submit prior approval details if required
- Keep written decisions and neighbour replies
- Track every day used
Ask the national park authority for a pre-application enquiry where your land is inside a National Park or other protected area.
Read the Welsh Government guidance on permitted development rights for temporary campsites.
Check the full Welsh Order and its 28 August 2026 correction slip.
Common mistakes
Starting before the 28 days finish
Submit first.
Wait for the correct event.
Do not rely on a verbal comment.
Measuring from the road
Measure from the dwelling’s curtilage.
Show the method on your plan.
Placing facilities inside the buffer
The buffer covers more than pitches.
Move toilets, waste storage, parking and amenities too.
Counting only guest nights
Count every day the campsite facilities remain available.
Keep a calendar.
Using ordinary touring caravans
Class BA does not cover them.
Use the correct caravan route or seek advice.
Assuming approval covers permanent works
It does not.
Check each building, track, hardstanding area and access change.
Ignoring local restrictions
Check Article 4 directions and planning conditions.
Rules can differ by location.
Plan your next step
Class BA creates a route for landowners, farmers and hospitality businesses who want to operate a temporary campsite in Wales.
The route is useful.
The conditions matter.
Map the 100m buffer, plan your facilities, submit the yearly determination and keep clear records.
For more outdoor planning ideas, visit our advice and guides.
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