Meta description: Prepare your 2027 campsite this autumn with the UK 2026 permitted development checklist for Class BC England, Class BA Wales, prior approval, notices and site records.
Hello, farmer, pub owner, hotel operator or rural landowner.
The 2026 camping season is closing.
Now is the time to prepare.
Use autumn and winter to check your land, records, access, drainage, insurance and planning route.
Do this before bookings open.
This guide covers permitted development rights campsite UK rules for 2026, with a focus on next season.
It is general information, not legal advice. Check the current legislation and speak to your local planning authority before operating.
Start with the correct planning route
England and Wales use different rules.
Do not use the old 28-day rule as your only guide.
Class BC camping England
In England, Class BC allows a temporary recreational campsite for:
- Up to 60 days in total per calendar year.
- Up to 50 pitches.
- Moveable structures needed for the campsite.
- Tents.
- Motorhomes that meet the legal definition of a motor vehicle designed or adapted for habitation.
Class BC does not cover every caravan.
It also does not apply to certain restricted sites, including listed building sites, scheduled monuments, SSSIs, safety hazard areas and military explosives storage areas.
Read the Class BC legislation.
You must also provide:
- On-site toilets.
- Waste disposal facilities.
- A site plan.
- The dates when the campsite will operate.
You must notify the local planning authority in writing before starting development in each calendar year.
Keep the notice, plan and acknowledgement in your compliance file.
Class BA camping Wales
Wales uses Class BA.
The main limit is:
| Location | Maximum Class BA camping period |
|---|---|
| General land in Wales | 60 days per calendar year |
| National Park | 28 days per calendar year |
| National Landscape or AONB | 28 days per calendar year |
| World Heritage Site | 28 days per calendar year |
The days do not need to be consecutive.
Count them carefully.
Class BA also includes a 100m buffer zone around protected dwellings or buildings, subject to the wording of the current legislation and guidance.
Map nearby homes before you design the campsite.
Do not place pitches or facilities inside the restricted area.
A private access route may be treated differently. Ask the local planning authority how it will measure the buffer for your site.
Use the Welsh Government camping guidance and the Welsh prior approval form.
Check prior approval before you commit
England: Flood Zones 2 and 3
Class BC needs prior approval where the proposed campsite sits in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
Prepare:
- A site-specific flood risk assessment.
- Warning and evacuation arrangements.
- A site plan.
- Your proposed operating dates.
- The required fee.
Do not start until you receive written approval, or the statutory response period has expired under the applicable rules.
Check the Class BC prior approval procedure.
Wales: annual determination
Class BA requires an annual application to the local planning authority.
The authority may assess:
- Toilets and wastewater facilities.
- Waste disposal.
- Vehicular access.
- Site constraints.
- The 100m buffer zone.
- Flood and environmental restrictions.
The authority may confirm that prior approval is not required.
It may also require a further prior approval application.
Submit the application before you begin each calendar year.
Allow time for questions, corrections and consultation.
Do not treat silence as permission without checking the current Welsh process.
Use the off-season to audit your records
Start with your 2026 file.
Check every camping day.
Record:
- Opening date.
- Closing date.
- Days when the site was available.
- Days when campers stayed.
- Pitch numbers used.
- Dates of any events.
- Dates when facilities were installed.
- Dates when temporary structures were removed.
Keep a single annual day-count spreadsheet.
Do not rely on memory.
For 2027, create the calendar now.
Mark the proposed operating dates.
Leave space for weather changes, maintenance and cancellations.
Make sure your booking system matches your planning notice or application.
Review the pitch layout
Walk the site in autumn.
Mark:
- Every proposed pitch.
- Tent areas.
- Motorhome areas.
- Parking.
- Turning points.
- Toilets.
- Waste storage.
- Water points.
- Emergency access.
- Fire points.
- Boundaries.
- Nearby homes.
For England, stay within 50 pitches under Class BC.
For Wales, do not assume that 50 pitches is a statutory Class BA limit.
Capacity still matters.
Too many pitches can create problems with traffic, waste, drainage, noise and local amenity.
Use a smaller layout if that gives you safer access and better facilities.
Keep the plan to scale.
Add measurements.
Label every feature.
Use the same version in your booking records, application pack and site file.
Confirm access and drainage
Check the entrance after rain.
Look for:
- Standing water.
- Soft verges.
- Poor visibility.
- Narrow gates.
- Blocked ditches.
- Unsafe turning areas.
- Damage from campervans or service vehicles.
Plan for:
- Emergency vehicles.
- Waste collection.
- Toilet servicing.
- Deliveries.
- Guest arrivals.
- Tractor movements.
- Pedestrian routes.
Do not rely on a grass track that fails in wet weather.
Review wastewater arrangements.
Confirm how you will store, treat, remove or discharge wastewater.
Check whether you need an environmental permit, consent or drainage approval.
Do not install a soakaway without checking the site and the relevant regulator.
Refresh insurance and licensing
Permitted development is a planning route.
It is not a complete operating licence.
Check your position on:
- Campsite or caravan site licensing.
- Public liability insurance.
- Employers’ liability insurance.
- Fire safety.
- First aid.
- Food registration.
- Private water supplies.
- Waste carrier arrangements.
- Environmental permits.
- Health and safety.
- Building control.
Ask your insurer to confirm that temporary camping is covered.
Tell them about tents, motorhomes, guests, activities and temporary facilities.
Check whether your pub or hotel insurance allows camping in adjoining land.
Keep written confirmation.
Read our legal information and seek site-specific advice where needed.
Prepare next year’s notice pack
Use winter to prepare the documents.
England Class BC pack
Hold:
- Land ownership or management evidence.
- Location plan.
- Scaled site plan.
- Pitch schedule.
- 2027 operating dates.
- Toilet and waste facility details.
- Flood Zone check.
- Site constraints check.
- Insurance confirmation.
- Licensing correspondence.
- Local planning authority notice.
- LPA acknowledgement.
Send the written notice before development starts in 2027.
Do not send a vague note.
Name the site.
State the dates.
Attach the correct plan.
Show the facilities clearly.
Wales Class BA pack
Hold:
- Land ownership or management evidence.
- Location plan.
- Scaled campsite plan.
- Nearby dwelling and building map.
- 100m buffer measurement.
- National Park, National Landscape and World Heritage Site check.
- Environmental designation check.
- Flood Zone check.
- Pitch and parking layout.
- Toilet and wastewater details.
- Waste plan.
- Highway access plan.
- Proposed operating dates.
- Annual determination application.
- LPA acknowledgement.
- Any prior approval decision.
Use the current Welsh Government application guidance.
What to do now and what to leave until spring
| Do now | Leave until spring |
|---|---|
| Audit 2026 camping days | Put up guest tents |
| Map pitches and constraints | Open bookings before checks |
| Measure the Welsh 100m buffer | Install facilities without approvals |
| Check Flood Zones | Start campsite use |
| Review access and drainage | Advertise dates that may change |
| Confirm insurance and licensing | Move guests onto the site |
| Prepare the site plan | Rely on verbal LPA advice |
| Check Article 4 Directions | Assume old 28-day rights apply |
| Draft the annual notice or application | Treat planning as complete |
| Build the compliance file | Increase pitch numbers informally |
Re-check Article 4 Directions and local policy
Permitted development rights can be restricted.
Check:
- Article 4 Directions.
- Planning conditions.
- National Park policies.
- National Landscape policies.
- World Heritage Site controls.
- Local access requirements.
- Environmental designations.
- Local campsite guidance.
Ask the local planning authority for written confirmation where the position is unclear.
Do not assume last year’s answer still applies.
Review the position every season.
Keep one compliance file
Create a paper file and a digital copy.
Include:
- Land ownership evidence.
- Site location plan.
- Scaled campsite plan.
- Pitch and date schedule.
- Day-count record.
- Flood Zone search.
- Environmental designation checks.
- Article 4 Direction search.
- 100m buffer plan for Wales.
- Access and drainage notes.
- Toilet and wastewater records.
- Waste collection records.
- Insurance documents.
- Licence documents.
- LPA notices and acknowledgements.
- Prior approval applications.
- Prior approval decisions.
- Incident and complaint records.
- Maintenance records.
- Photographs before and after the season.
Date every document.
Use version numbers on plans.
Keep a note of who approved each change.
Your 2027 campsite starts this autumn
Check the rules now.
Count the days.
Map the land.
Review the pitch layout.
Test access and drainage.
Prepare your Class BC notice or Class BA application.
Then check it with the local planning authority before opening.
Open Sky Adventure helps landowners plan compliant outdoor opportunities across the UK.
Join the Open Sky Adventure group, review your land potential, and contact our team.
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