Meta description: Close your pop-up campsite correctly in 2026, count Class BC and Class BA days, remove temporary structures, manage waste, restore grass and prepare for next season.
Hello, farmer, hospitality owner or rural landowner. The season is ending. Close your campsite properly.
A shutdown is more than a tidy-up. It helps show that the temporary use has ended, structures were removed and the land is ready for normal use.
Use this checklist for camping legislation UK 2026, including Class BC camping England, Class BA camping Wales, the temporary campsite 60 days rule and the Welsh 28-day rule.
This guide is general information. Check your local planning authority, licensing authority and professional adviser before relying on a permitted development right.
Why the shutdown matters
Permitted development rights cover temporary use. They do not give you permission to create permanent campsite infrastructure.
In England, Class BC allows a recreational campsite for up to 60 days in total in one calendar year, with up to 50 pitches and moveable structures reasonably needed for the use.
Class BC does not contain a separate express restoration deadline. However, leaving camping facilities, access works or equipment in place can create questions about whether the use has really ended.
In Wales, Class BA allows:
- Up to 60 days in a calendar year outside protected landscapes.
- Up to 28 days in a calendar year in a National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site.
The Welsh rules also require a process before use begins, with information about toilets, wastewater, waste, access, pitches and operating dates. Your approved or submitted arrangements matter at shutdown.
Remove the campsite when the season ends. Record the work. Keep the field available for its normal use.
Read the official England Class BC legislation, then compare it with the Welsh Class BA guidance for temporary campsites.
1. Close the day log before you dismantle
Write down the final operating date.
Count every day when the land was used as a campsite. Do not count only occupied nights. If tents, toilets, showers or other campsite facilities remained available, that day may count.
Record:
- Opening date.
- Closing date.
- Any days when the site was closed.
- Total days used in the calendar year.
- Number of pitches.
- Any changes from the submitted site plan.
- The date when all campsite facilities were removed.
Use one simple spreadsheet. Add a short note for every operating block.
| Date | Site open? | Facilities present? | Guest use? | Day counted? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 September 2026 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Weekend operation |
| 21 September 2026 | No | No | No | No | Structures removed |
Know which limit applies
For Class BC camping England, stay within 60 days in the calendar year.
For Class BA camping Wales, stay within 60 days outside protected landscapes, or 28 days in a National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site.
The Welsh 28-day rule is not a general 28-day limit across Wales. It applies to the protected locations listed above.
Do not assume that closing for a week gives you extra days. It does not.
The annual count resets on 1 January. It does not reset when you pack away in September. A shutdown helps prove that this year’s temporary use has ended. It does not create unused days or extend the current limit.
In 2026, Welsh operators must also account for days used under the earlier rules. The Welsh Government guidance says those days count against the relevant 2026 Class BA limit.
2. Remove temporary structures
Start with a site walk. Use your approved or submitted site plan.
Remove:
- Tents and bell tents.
- Reception marquees.
- Portable shower units.
- Portable toilets and wash blocks.
- Temporary kitchens.
- Temporary storage units.
- Pitch markers and temporary fencing.
- Signs and lighting.
- Temporary fire points.
- Tables, benches and waste stations.
- Temporary generators and cables.
Class BC and Class BA do not provide a route for permanent buildings, fixed glamping pods, permanent hardstanding or permanent access tracks.
If a structure cannot be moved easily, stop and check its planning status. A pod, lodge, shepherd hut or fixed wash block may require a different planning route.
Do not leave structures folded beside the field for the winter. Move them to lawful storage away from the campsite, or remove them from the land.
3. Remove hardstanding and protect the access route
Temporary trackway can protect grass during the season. It can also leave a clear sign of continued campsite use.
Lift track protection after the final vehicle leaves. Remove temporary parking surfaces. Clear posts, matting, aggregate and temporary kerbs.
Check the access route for:
- Rutting.
- Compaction.
- Mud on the highway.
- Broken verges.
- Damaged drainage.
- Blocked grips or ditches.
- Unauthorised widening.
Do not install permanent tracks or hardstanding under a temporary campsite right. Those works may need planning permission.
Photograph the route before work starts. Photograph it again after reinstatement.
4. Close water, wastewater and toilet arrangements
Complete the water close-out before you lock the gate.
Drain and disconnect temporary water systems. Protect exposed taps from frost. Remove hoses, tanks, pumps and temporary pipework.
For toilets, showers and wash blocks:
- Stop use.
- Empty tanks through the appointed contractor.
- Clean and disinfect equipment.
- Remove units from the site.
- Store them securely.
- Keep the service record.
Use the correct contractor for septic tank, holding tank and Elsan waste. Do not discharge wastewater onto grass, into a drain, into a watercourse or onto neighbouring land.
Manage grey water separately. Keep it out of ditches and field drains.
Ask for written records. Keep invoices, waste transfer notes, collection records and any contractor certificates.
These records support your evidence file. They also reduce waste licensing and pollution risk.
The Welsh Government Class BA guide highlights toilet, wastewater and waste arrangements as key issues for temporary campsite notifications and prior approval.
5. Remove all waste
Complete a final litter sweep. Check:
- Pitch areas.
- Hedge lines.
- Fire areas.
- Toilets.
- Wash points.
- Car parks.
- Access routes.
- Water points.
- Nearby ditches and streams.
Remove general waste, recycling, food waste, gas canisters, ash, broken equipment and abandoned guest items.
Separate waste where your contractor requires it. Use a registered or properly authorised waste contractor where necessary.
Keep the documents. A waste transfer note should show what was collected, when it was collected and who accepted it.
Leave no waste on the land. Do not bury it. Do not burn commercial or campsite waste in the field.
6. Reinstate the grass and ground
Inspect the field after equipment leaves.
Repair ruts. Spread displaced soil. Remove compacted material. Reseed damaged grass where conditions allow. Keep vehicles off wet ground. Use temporary fencing while grass recovers.
Ground condition supports your argument that the campsite was temporary. It also protects next year’s farm use, grazing, haymaking or events.
Record:
- Wide photographs from fixed points.
- Close photographs of damaged areas.
- Soil and grass repairs.
- Drainage checks.
- The date of final reinstatement.
- Weather conditions that delayed work.
Do not overwork wet soil. Note why a repair must wait. Return later and complete it when conditions improve.
7. Check your site licence position
Planning and site licensing are separate.
A planning right does not automatically give you a campsite licence. A campsite licence may be required for tents, trailer tents or caravans, depending on the use and exemptions.
The GOV.UK camping licence guidance states that a licence is generally needed before using land as a campsite, subject to exemptions. It also explains the tent exemption for sites used for fewer than 42 consecutive days or fewer than 60 days in any 12-month period.
Caravans follow separate rules. A Paragraph 5 exemption relates to an exempted organisation’s certificate for up to five caravans. It is not a general licence for every farm or hospitality business.
If you plan to operate beyond permitted development rights, choose the correct route:
- Apply for full planning permission.
- Apply for a campsite or caravan site licence where required.
- Use a valid exemption certificate route.
- Review a landowner grouping or licence agreement with an appropriate organisation.
Do not extend the season first and fix the legal route later.
8. Build your evidence file
Create one folder for the site and year.
Keep:
- Planning notifications.
- Prior approval decisions.
- Site plans.
- Operating day logs.
- Final closure record.
- Dated photographs.
- Waste transfer notes.
- Septic or Elsan collection records.
- Water disconnection records.
- Contractor invoices.
- Licence documents.
- Insurance records.
- Guest booking closure records.
- Notes about ground repairs.
Keep the file for at least six years as a sensible business record. Keep it longer if your insurer, licence, contract or adviser requires this.
Use clear file names:
SiteName_2026_FinalOperatingDay_28-09-2026.jpg
Make one PDF summary. Give it to the landowner, operator and any relevant licence partner.
9. Plan next season now
Use the shutdown review to prepare for 2027.
Check:
- Whether Class BC or Class BA still applies.
- Whether an Article 4 Direction affects the land.
- Whether a planning condition removes permitted development rights.
- Whether the site falls in a restricted designation.
- Whether the access route remains suitable.
- Whether the waste contractor can return.
- Whether a site licence will be needed.
- Whether a prior approval campsite application is required.
- Whether your landowner agreement remains current.
Request pre-application advice where the position is unclear. Do it before taking bookings.
Read Open Sky Adventure’s guide to prior approval campsites, then review the legal information and land potential service.
Join the Open Sky Adventure group
Close the site. Keep the records. Check the next season early.
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