Camping legislation UK 2026 explained for farmers, pubs, hotels and rural landowners, including the 28-day rule, Class BC camping England, Class BA camping Wales, Article 4 Directions and legal routes beyond PDR.
Hello, landowner.
Your spare field may support camping.
Your planning rights may not.
Check the position before you advertise pitches, take bookings or buy equipment.
This guide gives you a practical compliance route.
It covers:
- The 28-day rule
- Class BC camping England
- Class BA camping Wales
- Article 4 Directions
- Prior approval campsite rules
- Site licensing
- Paragraph 5 certification
- Farm diversification camping
- The compliance pack you need
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your site with the local planning authority, licensing team and insurer.
Start with the 28-day rule
The 28-day rule is a limited permitted development right.
It lets land host temporary camping and caravans for up to 28 days in a year, subject to the rules that apply in your country and location.
Do not treat it as a permanent campsite approval.
Do not split the count between pitches.
Count the whole site.
Count each operating day.
Count part-days as days where the relevant rules require this.
Once you go beyond 28 days, you may be operating a caravan or camping site under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960.
That can trigger planning and licensing duties.
The stay does not need to be expensive.
A free “camp with dinner” pub stopover can still count.
A meal does not remove the camping use.
A booking platform does not remove the camping use.
A second field does not reset the annual total if it forms part of the same operation.
Keep a day-count record from day one.
England: use Class BC, not an old shortcut
In England, Class BC camping England is the main permitted development route for temporary recreational campsites in 2026.
It can allow a campsite to operate for up to 60 days in one calendar year, subject to its conditions.
You must complete the required written notification to the local planning authority.
Include:
- A location plan
- Pitch locations
- Operating dates
- Access and emergency access
- Toilets
- Water arrangements
- Waste disposal
- Site management details
Check whether your site also needs prior approval.
This can apply because of flood risk and other site conditions.
Do not start until the relevant decision or notification process is complete.
Use the England Class BC legislation.
Class BC does not give you a permanent site.
It does not remove licensing duties.
It does not override an Article 4 Direction.
It does not allow every type of caravan or unit.
Describe each pitch correctly.
Confirm the position before you advertise motorhomes, campervans or touring caravans.
Keep your operating season within the permitted window.
Do not add extra weekends because demand is strong.
Use a live calendar.
Wales: apply Class BA with care
The Welsh rules changed in 2026.
Class BA camping Wales now provides a temporary campsite route.
You must complete the annual prior approval process.
Submit the required information to the local planning authority before use begins.
The authority may assess:
- Access and highway safety
- Toilets and wastewater
- Waste disposal
- Neighbour impact
- Site layout
- Environmental effects
The seasonal limits depend on location.
| Site location | Maximum use |
|---|---|
| Land outside protected landscapes | 60 days per calendar year |
| National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site | 28 days per calendar year |
The 28-day limit still matters.
A National Park site does not receive the full 60-day allowance.
Class BA also includes a 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule.
You cannot rely on Class BA where the proposed campsite is within 100 metres of a protected dwelling, subject to the precise legal wording and exceptions.
Map every nearby home.
Map flats and separate accommodation.
Measure the distance on a scaled plan.
Keep pitches, toilets, waste facilities and access within the lawful layout.
Do not rely on an informal measurement.
Read the Welsh Government guidance on temporary campsites.
Use the Welsh Class BA legislation.
Check other exclusions too.
These can include:
- Listed buildings and their curtilage
- SSSIs
- SACs
- SPAs
- Ramsar sites
- Scheduled monuments
- Flood risk areas
- Safety hazard areas
- Military explosives areas
- Article 4 areas
- Planning conditions that remove PDR
Article 4 Directions can remove PDR
An Article 4 Direction removes specified permitted development rights in a defined area.
It does not remove every planning right.
Read the wording.
Check the map.
Check the effective date.
Check the use class named in the Direction.
Snowdonia and Eryri
Eryri’s current Article 4 Direction took effect in June 2025.
It targets changes between dwelling uses:
- C3 homes
- C5 second homes
- C6 short-term holiday lets
It does not directly remove caravan or camping PDR.
That distinction matters.
Eryri’s separate planning policy is the bigger issue for new sites.
Its Supplementary Planning Guidance, adopted in 2020, states that the authority “will not support new touring or camping sites.”
That is policy guidance.
It is not the same as an Article 4 legal block.
It can still make a planning application difficult.
It can influence how the authority assesses a proposal.
Check the Eryri Article 4 information and speak to the planning team before relying on PDR.
Pembrokeshire Coast
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park introduced a camping-specific Article 4 Direction.
It took effect in January 2026.
It removes permitted development rights for certain 28-day camping, caravan and mobile home uses.
Planning permission is then required for the affected use.
The Direction does not affect every temporary use.
It also preserves the position for sites operating under exemption certificates or as exempted organisations, subject to their conditions.
Read the Pembrokeshire Coast Article 4 guidance.
Always check for a local Article 4 before you rely on PDR.
Choose one of two legal routes beyond 28 days
PDR is not your only option.
You have two main routes.
Route one: planning permission and a site licence
Apply for planning permission for the campsite.
Then apply for the relevant site licence.
Keep the two processes separate.
Planning permission controls the use of land.
The site licence controls operation and site conditions.
You may need to provide:
- A full site layout
- Pitch numbers
- Access plans
- Drainage details
- Waste arrangements
- Fire precautions
- Water facilities
- Landscape information
- Ecology information
- Neighbour impact controls
Do not open while an application is pending.
Do not assume a licence will fix a planning breach.
Do not assume planning permission replaces a licence.
Route two: Paragraph 5 certification
A recognised recreational organisation may use Paragraph 5 certification for approved caravan sites.
The certificate can allow up to five caravans at a time.
It can remove the need for a normal caravan site licence and planning permission for the covered use, subject to the certificate conditions.
The five-caravan limit is strict.
Enforce it.
Do not count five bookings and then accept a sixth.
Do not treat tents and caravans as interchangeable.
Check the certificate type for the units you accept.
Open Sky Adventure holds Exempted Organisation status valid across all of Wales, including National Parks.
This can provide a lawful route where ordinary PDR is restricted.
The certificate does not cover every structure or facility.
A toilet block, car park, access work or permanent service may need separate approval.
Use the GOV.UK exemption certificate guidance.
Build your compliance pack
Prepare the file before opening.
1. Draw the site plan
Show:
- Land ownership
- Site boundary
- Pitch positions
- Pitch numbers
- Vehicle routes
- Emergency access
- Homes within 100 metres
- Roads and junctions
- Toilets
- Water points
- Waste areas
- Fire points
- Livestock areas
- Sensitive habitats
Use a scale.
Add a north arrow.
Date every revision.
2. Enforce pitch limits
Write the maximum number on the operating plan.
For a Paragraph 5 site, enforce the five-caravan limit.
Use a booking spreadsheet.
Check arrivals each day.
Record departures.
Do not rely on memory.
3. Control waste and water
Set a collection schedule.
Keep waste away from food areas.
Secure bins from animals.
Record collections.
Test water arrangements.
Record toilet servicing.
Keep wastewater away from watercourses.
Do not promise facilities you cannot maintain.
4. Control homes and roads
Measure buffer distances.
Check visibility at access points.
Keep emergency routes open.
Separate campers from deliveries.
Use low-level lighting.
Keep lights away from bedrooms and neighbouring homes.
5. Notify the right authority
Notify the planning authority when certificates are issued, where the certificate rules require it.
Keep copies.
Record dates.
Keep any council response.
Consult neighbours and the local licensing authority through the required process.
Do not treat notification as approval.
6. Keep records
Maintain:
- Operating dates
- Pitch numbers
- Guest numbers
- Certificate copies
- LPA notifications
- Prior approval decisions
- Waste collections
- Water checks
- Incidents
- Complaints
- Site inspections
- Policy checks
Review the file each month during the season.
7. Monitor policy changes
Rules can change during your business planning cycle.
Check:
- Your local planning authority
- Your National Park authority
- Article 4 registers
- Welsh Government guidance
- GOV.UK licensing guidance
- Your insurer
Review the position before each new season.
Use camping as farm diversification
Start small.
Choose one field.
Set clear dates.
Limit the pitches.
Keep the facilities simple.
A pub can offer dinner and breakfast.
A hotel can offer walking access and local information.
A farm can offer guided wildlife walks or outdoor activities.
The commercial idea may work.
The legal route must work first.
Read Open Sky Adventure’s guides on pub and hotel campsite pitches and Class BC compliance.
Take the next step
Map your land.
Count your days.
Check Article 4.
Choose your route.
Build your compliance pack.
Then speak to the right authority.
Open Sky Adventure helps farmers, pubs, hotels and rural landowners explore licensed camping and outdoor experiences.
Visit Unlock Your Land and Potential.
Then join the group and sign up on the website.
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