Meta description: Learn how Class BA camping Wales works from 1 September 2026, including the 100m buffer zone, 28-day rule, prior approval and farm diversification options.
Hello, farmer, pub owner, hotel operator or rural landowner.
Your land may support a temporary campsite.
Check the rules first.
From 1 September 2026, Class BA of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (Wales) Order 2026 will govern temporary recreational camping in Wales.
The main rules are clear:
- Use eligible land for up to 60 days each calendar year.
- Use land in protected landscapes for up to 28 days.
- Keep camping outside the 100m buffer zone.
- Apply to your local planning authority before you start.
- Prepare plans for access, toilets, wastewater and waste.
- Track your operating days.
You cannot remove the 100m buffer.
You can plan around it.
What does Class BA camping Wales allow?
Class BA permits temporary recreational camping on eligible land.
It also permits moveable structures needed for that use.
This may include:
- Tents.
- Motorhomes.
- Habitable campervans.
- Moveable toilets.
- Waste facilities.
- Temporary campsite amenities.
The right is not permission for a permanent campsite.
Do not build permanent facilities under Class BA without checking the correct planning route.
Do not assume every caravan qualifies. The Order excludes caravans unless they are motor vehicles designed or adapted for human habitation.
Use Class BA for a temporary campsite.
Choose your operating dates before you apply.
Count each day the land is used as a campsite. Count days from 1 January to 31 December.
Check the 60-day and 28-day limits
Most eligible land in Wales can operate as a recreational campsite for up to 60 days per calendar year.
The limit falls to 28 days if any part of the relevant land is within:
- A National Park.
- An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, also called a National Landscape.
- A World Heritage Site.
Check your designation first.
Do not rely on the location’s rural character.
A farm, pub or hotel can sit inside a protected landscape. If it does, plan for the 28-day limit.
The 28 days do not need to run together.
You can choose separate periods.
For example, you could operate for several weekends and school holiday periods. Keep a clear day count. Include every day of campsite use.
This is a key part of camping legislation UK 2026.
Understand the 100m buffer zone for campsites in Wales
The 100m buffer is the main Class BA restriction.
Class BA does not permit campsite use on land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling.
A protected dwelling means a dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
This can include a neighbour’s home.
It can affect a field beside your pub, farm or hotel.
It can reduce the land available for camping.
It does not always rule out the whole holding.
Map the affected area.
Draw a 100m zone around each protected dwelling.
Keep camping activity outside it.
This includes:
- Pitches.
- Tent areas.
- Campervan areas.
- Guest parking linked to the campsite.
- Toilets.
- Showers.
- Waste points.
- Wastewater facilities.
- Internal access routes serving the campsite.
The Order includes an exception for a private way.
Do not treat that exception as permission for campsite use.
If your proposed camping area sits inside the buffer, review another location or seek full planning advice.
Prior approval cannot remove the buffer.
The buffer is a limit on the permitted development right.
How to measure the 100m buffer zone accurately
Start with a scaled site plan.
Show every nearby dwelling.
Mark the building and its curtilage.
Confirm who occupies it.
Then measure 100 metres from the relevant dwelling area. Do not measure from a random map pin or field boundary.
Use a reliable scaled plan or professional survey.
Record your method.
Mark the buffer clearly.
Add each pitch and facility to the plan.
Check that every item sits outside the zone.
If the dwelling’s status is unclear, ask your planning adviser or local planning authority for written confirmation. Keep the response with your project records.
Do not guess.
A small measurement error can change your planning position.
Move your campsite to beat the 100m restriction
You cannot beat the buffer by changing the label on the activity.
Calling a pitch a picnic area does not change its use.
Calling a toilet a storage unit does not change its purpose.
Move the campsite instead.
On a farm
Review every field.
Choose land away from protected dwellings.
Consider the centre of the holding.
Check access from the public highway.
Avoid land in Flood Zones 2 or 3.
Check ground conditions.
Check wastewater options.
Check waste collection routes.
Check nearby habitats and heritage sites.
You may need fewer pitches.
You may need a separate parcel.
A smaller compliant site is better than an unlawful larger site.
This makes Class BA useful for farm diversification camping. Start with the land that meets the rules. Build your plan around that land.
At a pub
Use your existing business carefully.
You may already have:
- Customer parking.
- Staff.
- Toilets.
- Waste contracts.
- Food service.
- Local visitor knowledge.
- An established entrance.
Do not assume the nearest field qualifies.
Check nearby dwellings.
Separate campsite traffic from deliveries.
Show the entrance and exit on your plan.
Keep pitches and campsite facilities outside the 100m buffer.
Consider a smaller site behind or beyond the protected zone.
At a hotel
Review the relationship between guest accommodation and the proposed campsite.
Check which buildings are dwellings.
Check who occupies them.
Show the location of the hotel, guest parking, camping area and access routes.
Use existing services where suitable.
Explain how campers will use toilets, wastewater points and waste facilities.
Keep all relevant camping land outside the buffer.
Seek written advice if the status of any building is uncertain.
Follow the Class BA prior approval process
Class BA is not automatic.
Before starting development in each calendar year, apply to your local planning authority for a determination of whether prior approval is required.
Use the Welsh Government prior approval guidance and application form.
Submit your application before opening.
The local planning authority has 28 days from receiving the application.
It must either:
- Tell you that prior approval is not required.
- Tell you that prior approval is required.
- Notify you that the application does not comply with the submission requirements.
If 28 days pass without the required notice or determination, development may proceed under the Order.
Check that your application is complete.
Keep proof of submission.
Keep the date of receipt.
Do not rely on silence if the authority has said that the application is incomplete.
If the authority says prior approval is required, submit the second application.
Do not begin until you receive written prior approval.
What to include in your application
Prepare a clear submission.
Include a scaled site plan.
Show:
- The site boundary.
- The 100m buffer zones.
- Protected dwellings.
- Pitch locations.
- Amenity locations.
- Toilet facilities.
- Wastewater facilities.
- Waste disposal facilities.
- Access from the highway.
- Internal routes.
- Parking areas.
- Operating dates.
Add a short written statement.
Explain how the site will work.
Explain how visitors will arrive and leave.
Explain how you will manage waste and wastewater.
Explain how you will protect nearby residents.
Include the required fee.
Check the local planning authority’s process before submitting.
A clear plan helps the authority understand the proposal.
It also helps you operate the site as submitted.
Know when the LPA may require prior approval
The local planning authority must require prior approval where the development is likely to create:
- A material increase in traffic.
- A material change in the character of traffic near the site.
Access matters.
Review your entrance before applying.
Check:
- Road width.
- Visibility.
- Passing space.
- Turning space.
- Highway safety.
- Pedestrian movement.
- Emergency access.
- Delivery movements.
If the site uses a narrow lane, explain how you will manage arrivals.
Use timed check-in if needed.
Avoid creating conflict with farm traffic or pub deliveries.
The authority may request further information.
Respond within the stated time.
The authority may consult the highway authority or other bodies.
Allow for this in your programme.
Use the 28-day determination window wisely
Plan dates early.
Do not wait until the week before opening.
Work backwards from your first booking.
Before the season
Check the designation.
Measure the buffer.
Review other exclusions.
Choose the field.
Prepare the site plan.
Plan the facilities.
Choose your operating dates.
At least 28 days before opening
Submit the determination application.
Pay the fee.
Keep your delivery evidence.
Record the date the LPA receives the application.
After the decision
If prior approval is not required, follow the submitted details.
If prior approval is required, submit the second application.
Wait for written approval.
Operate only after the correct legal step.
Keep copies of all notices and plans.
Check other Class BA exclusions
The 100m buffer is not the only restriction.
Class BA does not apply to some protected or sensitive locations, including:
- Scheduled monuments.
- Special Areas of Conservation.
- Safety hazard areas.
- Military explosives storage areas.
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
- Ramsar sites.
- Listed building sites.
- Special Protection Areas.
- Flood Zones 2 and 3.
Check current mapping.
Check environmental constraints.
Check heritage records.
Check local planning policies.
Also check campsite licensing.
Planning rights and licensing are separate matters. You may need a licence or exemption certificate under other legislation.
Do not open on the assumption that Class BA solves every legal requirement.
Start with a compliant pilot season
Use your first season to test the operation.
Keep the site small.
Choose clear dates.
Limit vehicle movements.
Use simple facilities.
Record visitor numbers.
Track operating days.
Record complaints and incidents.
Review waste and wastewater.
Ask what worked.
Then decide whether to continue, change the layout or apply for full planning permission.
This approach can support farm diversification camping without committing you to a large site at the start.
Book early.
Planning applications, equipment, toilets, waste services and operators all need lead time.
Work with an experienced operator such as Open Sky Adventure.
We can help you review your land, plan a compliant campsite and manage outdoor operations.
Read The Legals.
Read Unlock Your Land and Potential.
Class BA Wales checklist
Use this list before taking bookings:
- Confirm that the land is in Wales.
- Check whether the 60-day or 28-day limit applies.
- Identify every protected dwelling.
- Measure the 100m buffer accurately.
- Move pitches and facilities outside the buffer.
- Check Flood Zones 2 and 3.
- Check environmental and heritage exclusions.
- Choose operating dates.
- Prepare the site plan.
- Plan toilets, wastewater, waste and access.
- Submit the determination application.
- Wait for the correct notice or approval.
- Track every operating day.
- Remove temporary structures when required.
- Review the site before the next calendar year.
Get the planning position right before you advertise.
Join the Open Sky Adventure group and sign up through the Open Sky Adventure website.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.
This article gives general information. It is not legal advice or a planning decision. Check the current legislation and your local planning authority before starting campsite use.