Meta description: Learn the 2026 facilities rules for Class BC camping in England and Class BA camping in Wales, including toilets, water, waste, fire safety and temporary campsite costs.
Hello, farmer, pub owner, hotel owner or rural landowner.
Your site may support a 60-day pop-up campsite.
Plan the facilities first.
This guide covers toilets, washbasins, drinking water, wastewater, chemical toilet disposal, refuse, fire safety and temporary services.
Use it with your prior approval application pack.
This guide gives general information. It is not legal, planning or environmental health advice. Check the current rules with your local planning authority before taking bookings.
Start with the correct campsite planning route
The rules differ between England and Wales.
Class BC camping in England
Class BC allows:
- Up to 60 days in one calendar year
- Up to 50 pitches
- Moveable structures needed for the campsite
- Tents, motorhomes and campervans within the relevant caravan rules
You must provide toilets and waste disposal facilities.
You must notify the local planning authority before the campsite starts each year.
Prior approval applies if the site is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
Read the Class BC legislation.
Class BA camping in Wales
Class BA allows up to 60 days in most eligible areas.
The limit remains 28 days in:
- National Parks
- National Landscapes
- World Heritage Sites
Class BA also excludes land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling, except for an existing private way used for access or egress.
You must submit an annual application to ask whether prior approval is required.
The site plan must show:
- Toilet and wastewater facilities
- Waste disposal facilities
- Pitches and amenities
- Highway access
- Operating dates
Read the 2026 Welsh amendment order and the Welsh Government campsite guidance.
What the prior approval conditions actually require
Do not treat every good practice measure as a national planning condition.
Separate the rules from the operating standards.
England: Class BC
Class BC expressly requires you to:
- Provide on-site toilet facilities.
- Provide on-site waste disposal facilities.
- Send written notification before use.
- Include a site plan with the facilities and operating dates.
- Obtain prior approval in Flood Zones 2 and 3.
Class BC does not set one national toilet ratio.
It does not expressly name washbasins, drinking water, grey water, chemical toilet points, refuse collection or fire extinguishers.
Those matters still matter.
They may arise through environmental health, site licensing, fire safety, pollution control, insurance and local guidance.
The planning authority must also send the Class BC notice to the relevant fire and rescue authority.
Wales: Class BA
Class BA asks the planning authority to consider:
- Toilets and wastewater
- Waste disposal
- Vehicular access
The authority must tell you within 28 days whether prior approval is required.
If it requires prior approval, you must submit the extra information requested.
Do not start until you receive written approval.
The Welsh Government guidance asks you to explain storage capacity, pollution risks, collection arrangements and recycling.
Use the Welsh determination form.
Toilets, washbasins and drinking water
Provide facilities that match your pitch numbers and maximum occupancy.
Show each facility on the site plan.
Toilets
Choose from:
- Portable chemical toilets
- Portable flush units
- Accessible toilet units
- Composting toilets
- Temporary toilet blocks
State the number, location and service frequency.
Explain what happens when the site is full.
Include an accessible unit where required by your risk assessment, licence conditions or customer needs.
Do not rely on public toilets in a nearby village unless the planning authority accepts the arrangement.
Washbasins
Place hand-washing facilities beside the toilets.
Provide soap, water and paper towels or hand dryers.
Add separate sinks for washing equipment or dishes where needed.
Show the drainage route for water from basins and sinks.
Do not allow grey water to flow across the field.
Drinking water
You have three main options.
Mains supply: Connect through a suitable temporary arrangement, protect the supply from backflow and use approved fittings.
Potable bowser: Hire a bowser from a supplier that confirms the tank is suitable for drinking water.
On-site tank: Use a sealed tank designed for potable water, label it clearly and arrange safe filling, cleaning and testing.
Keep drinking water separate from non-potable water.
Test the supply where the source, storage method or local authority requires it.
Keep records of tests, tank cleaning and deliveries.
Never describe untreated spring, stream or borehole water as drinking water.
Wastewater and chemical toilet disposal
Your written plan must cover every waste stream.
Grey water
Grey water comes from:
- Washbasins
- Sinks
- Showers
- Cleaning points
Collect it in a sealed tank or use an approved drainage system.
Do not discharge it onto the ground, into a ditch or into a watercourse.
Do not use a soakaway without checking the ground, pollution risk and required consent.
Chemical toilet waste
Provide a dedicated disposal point.
Use a sealed connection, storage tank or approved emptying facility.
Keep the point separate from drinking water and hand-washing areas.
Use clear signs.
Arrange removal by a competent waste contractor.
Never empty chemical toilet waste into a field drain, stream, surface water drain or unsuitable septic tank.
Refuse and recycling
Provide covered, secure bins.
Separate general waste and recycling where practical.
Prevent access by animals.
Keep bins away from watercourses and food preparation areas.
Set collection dates before opening.
Your planning file should include:
- Contractor name
- Waste types collected
- Collection frequency
- Disposal location
- Contract, quote or confirmation email
- Waste transfer notes during operation
A short signed service agreement is better than a vague statement saying, “Waste will be removed.”
Temporary facilities or permanent development?
Permitted development rights cover temporary use.
They do not authorise permanent infrastructure.
A moveable toilet cabin, portable water tank, temporary hand-wash unit or removable reception tent may be acceptable where it is reasonably necessary for the campsite.
Remove it when the camping use ends.
You may need planning permission for:
- A permanent toilet or shower block
- A fixed drainage system
- Buried utilities
- Concrete bases
- Permanent electric hook-up bollards
- New tracks or hardstanding
- A new site entrance
- A fixed septic tank or treatment plant
- Glamping pods, lodges or fixed cabins
A portable unit can still create planning issues if it stays in place or becomes permanently connected.
Ask your LPA before installing fixed infrastructure.
Serviced pitches: electricity, water and grey water
Keep serviced pitches simple for a 60-day season.
Use removable electric distribution equipment.
Use outdoor-rated cables, residual current protection and inspection by a competent electrician.
Do not run cables across vehicle routes without protection.
Mark each hook-up point on the plan.
For water points, use labelled potable hoses and protected connections.
For grey water, provide a sealed collection point or an approved connection.
Do not allow guests to empty tanks behind their pitch.
If you use a generator, control noise, fuel storage and exhaust risks.
Add generator locations to your site risk assessment.
Fire safety and emergency access
Class BC does not set one national pitch-spacing number.
Class BA does not replace your fire safety duties.
You must still design a safe site.
Create clear separation between tents, vehicles and temporary structures.
Follow your local fire and rescue guidance, site licence conditions and insurer requirements.
Provide:
- Clear vehicle routes
- A turning area
- An unobstructed emergency entrance
- Marked fire points
- Suitable extinguishers
- Emergency contact details
- An assembly point
- A written evacuation plan
- A written site risk assessment
Keep fire points visible.
Do not place them behind locked facilities.
Control open fires, barbecues, candles and charging equipment.
Brief guests at arrival.
Record daily checks.
Cleaning, grounds care and decommissioning
Create a simple daily and weekly schedule.
Check toilets each day.
Restock soap and paper.
Inspect water points.
Check bins before they overflow.
Remove litter from pitches and paths.
Inspect gates, signs, cables and fire points.
Keep a log with dates, staff initials and actions taken.
At the end of the season:
- Stop bookings on the stated date.
- Remove toilets, tanks, bins and temporary buildings.
- Empty and clean wastewater equipment.
- Remove cables and generators.
- Collect signs and barriers.
- Repair ground damage.
- Remove leftover waste.
- Store equipment off site.
- Keep your records and contractor documents.
Remember, each day that camping facilities remain on the land may count towards the annual limit, even when no guests are present.
Indicative 2026 costs
Prices vary by region, site size and contract length.
Use these figures for early budgeting only.
- Standard portable toilet: about £35–£45 plus VAT per week, often including weekly servicing
- Separate toilet servicing: about £15–£35 per unit per visit
- Delivery and collection: about £60–£150 per trip
- Accessible toilet: often £60–£150 per week
- Small electrical distribution boards: about £10–£30 per week
- Larger 63A distribution equipment: about £60–£150 per week
- Generator, cables and distribution package: about £345–£700 per week
- Potable water bowser: often £80–£150 per week, plus delivery and refills
See indicative portable toilet hire costs and temporary power packages.
Keep the season lean.
Start with basic toilets, hand-washing, drinking water and waste facilities.
Add electric hook-ups only where demand supports the equipment cost.
Hire rather than buy.
Use one contractor for delivery, servicing and collection where possible.
Pre-application compliance checklist
Before you submit, confirm that you have:
- Checked Class BC camping England or Class BA camping Wales
- Counted your available days
- Checked the Welsh 28-day areas where relevant
- Checked the 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule
- Checked Flood Zones and protected sites
- Checked Article 4 Directions
- Shown every pitch on a scaled plan
- Shown toilets and washbasins
- Shown drinking water points
- Explained grey water disposal
- Shown chemical toilet disposal
- Added refuse and recycling storage
- Attached a waste contractor quote or contract
- Shown vehicle and emergency access
- Written a fire and site risk assessment
- Planned cleaning and decommissioning
- Checked whether a campsite licence is required
Plan your licensed camping site with Open Sky Adventure
Facilities can make or break your application.
Plan them before you advertise.
Open Sky Adventure helps farmers, pub and hotel owners, and rural landowners prepare licensed camping and farm diversification camping projects.
Read The Legals, explore Unlock Your Land and Potential, then contact Open Sky Adventure.
Join the group and sign up on the website.
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This guide covers camping legislation UK 2026 at a general level. Check the current legislation, planning position, licensing requirements and site-specific risks before operating.