Meta description: Plan the move from a pop-up campsite to permanent planning permission. See how the NPPF August 2026 affects campsite planning for UK landowners and farm diversification.
Hello, landowner. Your 60-day right can help you test a campsite. It cannot make the site permanent.
Some landowners need to move sooner than planned. Article 4 Directions are changing where temporary camping can take place without a planning application.
Use the pop-up season to gather evidence. Then plan your next step.
What the 60-Day Right Can Never Give You
In England, Class BC of the General Permitted Development Order allows temporary campsite use for up to 60 days per calendar year. It is not permanent permission. It does not let you build permanent facilities.
50 pitches and tents only
Class BC allows up to 50 pitches. It covers tents and campervans or motorhomes designed or adapted for habitation.
It does not permit towed caravans or static caravans. It is not a route to a caravan or glamping business. You need to apply for the relevant planning permission.
You must provide toilet and waste-disposal facilities on site. Before use each calendar year, notify your local planning authority (LPA) in writing. Include a site plan showing the facilities and dates of use. The LPA must pass the notice to the fire and rescue authority.
If the site is in Flood Zone 2 or 3, get prior approval before starting that year.
The days you burn without guests
Count the days carefully. Cornwall Council says temporary facilities, such as toilets, count towards the 60-day limit for every day they remain on the land, even when no guests are there.
Class BC does not allow permanent works or operations. Exceed the limit, miss a required step or ignore a restriction, and you risk a breach of planning control and enforcement.
Why caravans kill the right
Class BC excludes caravans, except qualifying motor vehicles used as accommodation. If you want touring caravans, static units or fixed glamping structures, check the planning route for each proposal. Do not assume your temporary campsite right covers them.
Wales has a separate system. Under Class BA, the limit is generally 60 days, but it is 28 days in National Parks, National Landscapes and World Heritage Sites. Prior notification applies. Check the Welsh Government guidance and your local restrictions before you book guests.
Article 4 Directions Are Closing the Window
An Article 4 Direction can remove permitted development rights in a defined area. It does not grant permanent permission. It can mean you need to apply before operating a temporary campsite.
Cornwall, the New Forest and the Lake District
Cornwall Council has removed temporary campsite rights in some mapped areas. Check the Council’s Article 4 map and campsite guidance for your exact site.
In the New Forest National Park, a Park-wide Article 4 Direction restricts Class BC. A limited exception applies to sites first used before 1 March 2020, operating for no more than 28 days a year, and meeting the other relevant requirements. Read the New Forest guidance before relying on that exception.
On 30 September 2026, the Lake District National Park Authority approved moving to consultation on a Park-wide Article 4 Direction for Class BC campsites. That is a proposed step, not an enacted direction. Check the latest position before investing.
Pembrokeshire moved first in Wales
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park introduced an Article 4 Direction for temporary 28-day sites from 1 January 2026. Welsh changes later introduced Class BA. As at October 2026, qualifying campsites in the National Park can use the 28-day route with prior notification.
That route does not permit touring or static caravans or mobile homes. Those uses generally need planning permission. Check the Authority’s current guidance for exclusions and application steps.
Check your map before you invest
Check Article 4 maps, site designations and existing planning conditions before spending money. Permitted development rights do not override a condition attached to an existing permission.
The 28-day rule is not a single UK-wide rule. The applicable limit depends on the nation, designation, class and any local direction.
The New NPPF Plays for Your Side
The NPPF published in August 2026 can support a permanent campsite application in England. It does not change Class BC or turn temporary use into permanent permission.
Farm diversification is named in policy
Policy E4 supports rural business growth, agricultural diversification and facilities for rural leisure and tourism. Policy E2 gives substantial weight to economic benefits that let a farm business invest, expand or adapt.
Build your case around your business plan. Explain how camping supports farm viability, local jobs or other land-based activity. Address the effects on neighbours, access, landscape and wildlife.
The necessity test and how building reuse dodges it
Policy S5 supports rural tourism outside settlements where you show that an outside-settlement location is necessary. It also supports reuse of an existing building, subject to the policy’s requirements.
A redundant agricultural barn is not “previously developed land” under Annex B. But a lawful, permanent and substantial building may still provide a reuse route under S5(1)(c). Show why the building suits the proposal, and explain the design and impact.
If your site is in the Green Belt, check policies GB6 and GB7. Outdoor sport and recreation can be treated as not inappropriate development where openness impacts are minimised, but this does not remove the need to meet the policy tests.
Old refusals are worth a second look
Annex A says local plan policies that materially conflict with the new NPPF may receive very limited weight, unless they were examined and adopted against it. An earlier refusal based on a restrictive countryside policy may be worth reviewing.
Policy P4 also protects existing businesses, including working farms, from unreasonable restrictions caused by later development. Identify likely conflicts and show how you will mitigate them before new accommodation is occupied.
Your Route from Pop-Up to Permanent
Take these steps in order.
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Check what you can do now. Confirm the correct class, Article 4 status, site exclusions and planning conditions. In England, consider a Lawful Development Certificate for a formal view of the existing use.
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Ask the LPA before you design. Use pre-application advice to discuss the principle, access, drainage, flood risk, landscape and likely evidence. Set out the exact use you want, including pitches, structures and operating period.
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Keep a clear evidence file. Record dates, pitch numbers, occupancy, revenue, complaints and incidents. Keep plans, notifications and LPA decisions. Track noise, traffic and flood management too. Evidence of a managed temporary season can inform discussions, but it does not guarantee permission.
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Prepare a permanent proposal. Explain how the campsite will operate and address access, parking, waste, toilets, drainage, lighting, ecology, landscape and neighbour impacts. Show how the proposal fits the August 2026 NPPF and relevant local policies. For a farm, set out the role of camping in your wider business.
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Apply for the uses and structures you need. Submit a full planning application for the permanent campsite use and any fixed works. You may choose to start with tents, then seek permission for caravans or glamping structures. Do not use them until the relevant permission is in place.
The Bottom Line
Treat the 60-day right as a launchpad, not a permanent campsite. Check the rules for your exact site, keep records and build a clear case before you apply. The NPPF August 2026 may support farm diversification camping, but permission depends on the proposal and its impacts.
Read our legal guidance, then join the Open Sky Adventure community and sign up on the website.
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