Hello, landowner, farmer, pub owner or hotel operator.
Your land may support a temporary campsite.
In England, the main permitted development route is Class BC of Part 4, Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.
Class BC can support up to 60 days of campsite use each calendar year.
It can also support up to 50 pitches.
But you must follow the rules.
You must send the notice.
You must check flood risk.
You must use the right type of pitch.
This guide explains the permitted development rights campsite UK operators need to know in 2026.
It is general guidance, not legal advice.
Class BC camping England: the basic rule
Class BC permits:
- Use of land as a recreational campsite
- Up to 60 days in total in each calendar year
- No more than 50 pitches
- Tents
- Motorhomes
- Campervans designed or adapted for human habitation
- Moveable structures reasonably necessary for the campsite use
The 60 days do not need to be consecutive.
You could operate during school holidays, bank holidays and selected shoulder weekends.
Count the total across the whole site.
Do not count 60 days for each pitch.
Do not count 60 days for each booking.
Do not exceed 50 pitches.
An ordinary towable touring caravan is not allowed under Class BC.
That point matters.
A motorhome or campervan can qualify where it is designed or adapted as a motor vehicle for human habitation.
A normal touring caravan towed behind a car does not.
Read the official Class BC legislation before you design your site.
The 28-day rule is not the Class BC rule
Many landowners still ask about the “28-day rule”.
Separate the two issues.
Class BC gives a planning route for up to 60 campsite days in England.
The old general 28-day planning route should not be treated as a substitute for Class BC.
The 28-day period also appears in caravan site licensing exemptions.
For example, GOV.UK explains that a site of at least five acres with three or fewer caravans may fall within an exemption for 28 days or less each year.
That is a licensing rule.
It does not expand Class BC.
It does not give you 60 extra days.
It does not allow ordinary touring caravans under Class BC.
Read the GOV.UK caravan site licence guidance, then contact your local council.
Planning permission and site licensing are separate controls.
You may need a caravan site licence even where Class BC removes the need for a full planning application.
Check your insurance too.
Check fire safety.
Check waste arrangements.
Check water and sanitation.
The annual notification landowners forget
You must notify the local planning authority in writing before the campsite starts in each calendar year.
This is not a planning application.
It is an annual notification.
Include a site plan.
The plan must show:
- The campsite boundary
- Pitch locations
- Toilet facilities
- Waste disposal facilities
- The dates the site will be in use
Send the notice before opening.
Diary the task every January.
Do not wait for your first booking.
The local planning authority must pass the notice to the relevant fire and rescue authority where it is a separate body.
Keep:
- A copy of the notice
- Proof of delivery
- The submitted plan
- Your operating dates
- Your pitch plan
- Any council response
A notification does not replace prior approval where flood risk applies.
It also does not confirm that every other legal control is satisfied.
Flood risk: when prior approval applies
Prior approval applies if any part of the land is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
You must apply before development starts in each calendar year.
Include:
- A site-specific flood risk assessment
- Warning arrangements
- Evacuation arrangements
- A site plan
- Toilet and waste details
- The correct fee
The local planning authority must consult the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency must have at least 21 days to respond.
The authority has a 56-day determination route.
Do not start while the application is pending.
Development can begin only when:
- You receive written prior approval, or
- 56 days pass after the application is received without the authority notifying you of its decision
A refusal can normally be challenged by appeal.
Use the Planning Portal prior approval form.
Check your land on the Environment Agency Flood Map for Planning.
If your land is wholly in Flood Zone 1, Class BC does not trigger this prior approval process.
You still need the annual written notification.
You still need to meet every Class BC condition.
Where Class BC cannot be used
Class BC does not apply:
- On a scheduled monument
- In a safety hazard area
- In a military explosives storage area
- On a Site of Special Scientific Interest
- On the site of a listed building
Check these constraints before buying toilets, fencing or camping equipment.
Also check for:
- Article 4 directions
- Conservation areas
- National Park controls
- Local planning restrictions
- Access constraints
- Environmental designations
Article 4 directions can remove permitted development rights locally.
Ask your local planning authority for a site-specific view.
England and Wales are not the same
Do not copy Welsh guidance into an English application.
England uses Class BC.
Wales uses Class BA for its temporary recreational campsite route.
The lists are not identical.
Class BC in England has a narrower exclusion list.
Class BA in Wales has a wider list of restrictions and additional tests.
The Welsh route can involve extra checks linked to protected landscapes, protected sites, flood risk and nearby dwellings.
Use the English Class BC list for English land.
Use the Welsh Class BA rules for Welsh land.
Do not assume that a restriction applying in Wales applies in England.
Do not assume the reverse.
Count the 60 days carefully
Create one annual operating calendar.
Mark every campsite day.
Include split weekends.
Include separate holiday blocks.
Count the whole site.
Be careful with temporary facilities.
If toilets, cabins or other moveable structures remain on the land, the use of the land may continue for the permitted campsite purpose.
Those days may count.
Ask the local planning authority before leaving structures in place between operating periods.
Keep a daily log.
Record:
- Opening date
- Closing date
- Number of pitches used
- Type of unit
- Facilities on site
- Any empty operating days
- Any change to the plan
Do not rely on memory.
Do not count only nights sold.
Plan the site boundary before you calculate the days.
A short Class BC checklist
Before opening, confirm:
- The land is in England
- The use is a recreational campsite
- You will use no more than 60 days
- You will provide no more than 50 pitches
- You will accept tents, motorhomes and campervans only
- You will exclude ordinary towable touring caravans
- Toilets are available on site
- Waste disposal is available on site
- Your site plan shows facilities and pitch areas
- Your annual notice is sent before use starts
- Flood Zone 2 and 3 land has prior approval
- You checked the exclusion list
- You checked Article 4 directions
- You checked insurance and licensing
Common mistakes
Treating 60 days as 60 days per pitch
It is not.
The allowance applies to the campsite use.
Count across the site.
Forgetting the annual notice
Class BC is not an automatic opening right.
Send the written notice each year.
Include the plan and dates.
Using towable caravans
Class BC does not permit an ordinary touring caravan.
Use tents, motorhomes and qualifying campervans.
Opening in a flood zone without approval
Notification is not enough in Flood Zones 2 and 3.
Apply first.
Wait for written approval or the 56-day period to expire without a decision.
Assuming planning permission solves everything
It does not.
Check caravan site licensing, fire safety, insurance, waste, water, access and local controls.
Leaving facilities in place
Temporary toilets or cabins can affect how you count the operating period.
Keep a clear removal and storage plan.
Ask the council if the position is unclear.
Turn 60 days into a farm diversification plan
Start with realistic dates.
Choose school holidays.
Add bank holidays.
Use shoulder weekends where demand supports them.
Then calculate pitch yield.
Use this formula:
Number of pitches × average pitch fee × occupied nights = gross pitch revenue
Do not assume every night will sell.
Allow for weather, cancellations, cleaning and staffing.
A farm can add guided walks, wildlife sessions, campfire activities or outdoor skills.
A pub can link pitches to food, drinks and local events.
A hotel can use spare paddock land for overflow camping, walking packages or weekend activity stays.
Charge separately for paid experiences where appropriate.
Keep the offer simple.
Keep the operation safe.
Keep the records complete.
Get support before you take bookings
Class BC can offer a useful route for farm diversification camping, pub camping and hotel camping.
But the notice, day count and flood check matter.
Prepare your plan early.
Check the legislation.
Contact your local authority.
Then build your offer.
Join the Open Sky Adventure community to connect with people exploring licensed camping and outdoor tourism.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.
This article is guidance only.
It is not legal advice.
Get site-specific planning and licensing advice before you open.