Meta description: Learn how highways officers assess Class BC camping in England and Class BA camping in Wales, from visibility splays and gates to turning space, traffic evidence and the 100m buffer zone.
Welcome. Your entrance can decide your campsite application.
A good field can still fail.
A narrow lane, poor sight line or badly placed farm gate can create a highways objection. Fix the entrance before you submit. Do not leave it until the officer asks questions.
This guide explains the access points that matter under camping legislation UK 2026.
Class BC and Class BA: check which rules apply
England and Wales now use different permitted development routes.
In England, Class BC camping allows a recreational campsite for up to 60 days in a calendar year. You must provide on-site toilet and waste facilities. You must also notify the local planning authority before starting.
Class BC does not create a general highways prior approval test for every campsite. Prior approval is mainly relevant where the site falls within Flood Zone 2 or 3. However, your access, gate and any highway works still need to comply with other planning and highway rules.
In Wales, Class BA camping includes a prior approval process for the proposed means of vehicular access where the authority considers that the use could create a material increase or material change in traffic.
The highway authority may be consulted. The application can then focus closely on the entrance, lane capacity, visibility and vehicle movements.
Read the official legislation for:
- Class BC temporary recreational campsites in England
- The 2026 Wales amendment order
- Class 2 gates, fences and walls in England
The temporary campsite 60 days rule is a planning limit. It does not remove highway safety duties, waste rules, site licensing requirements or other consents.
Why highways officers are consulted
Your campsite brings new vehicle movements.
Visitors may arrive with:
- Cars and vans.
- Caravans.
- Motorhomes.
- Trailers.
- Towing vehicles.
- Delivery vehicles.
- Emergency vehicles.
The officer must decide whether the access can handle those movements safely.
They will look at the existing road. They will look at the proposed entrance. They will consider the pattern of arrivals and departures.
They will not assess only the number of pitches. They will assess how people use the site.
A small campsite can still cause problems if every guest arrives at the same time on a narrow lane.
What planners look for on the access plan
Submit a clear plan. Mark the public road, the site boundary, the gate and the internal track.
Show the following points.
Visibility splays and sight lines
Drivers must see approaching traffic before leaving the site.
Show the available sight lines in both directions. Mark hedges, walls, trees, banks and signs that affect visibility.
Do not claim that a 100m sight line applies everywhere. Local highway standards vary. The required distance can depend on road speed, road type and local guidance.
Remove or trim obstructions where lawful. Keep the sight lines clear during the season.
Single-track lane capacity
A single-track lane may work for occasional farm traffic. It may not work for repeated tourist arrivals.
Show the lane width. Mark existing passing places. Explain how vehicles pass without mounting verges or damaging banks.
Add a passing place if needed. It may only require a widened gravel section on your land. Keep it clear. Do not use it for storage, bins or parked cars.
Gate position and bell-mouth width
A gate right beside the public road creates a stopping point.
Vehicles may wait on the carriageway. Towing vehicles may block the lane while the driver opens the gate. A poor angle can force a trailer across the road.
Move the gate back where possible. Let one vehicle wait inside the site.
Widen the bell mouth. Create a gravel apron. Use a sealed surface for the first few metres where mud could reach the highway.
A simple farm gate can become the reason a Class BA camping Wales application fails if it creates unsafe stopping or turning movements.
Turning space for towing vehicles
Do not make visitors reverse along the access track.
Show where a car and caravan, motorhome or trailer can turn. Provide a swept path drawing if the layout is tight.
Keep the turning area inside the site. Do not rely on a public road, grass verge or neighbouring field.
Place pitches away from the turning area. Keep the route open for emergency vehicles.
Pedestrian and cycle movement
Visitors may walk or cycle from the entrance to reception, toilets or pitches.
Show how they move safely. Separate people from vehicles where possible. Use a firm walking route. Avoid forcing guests into the centre of a turning area.
Mark any public footpath or cycle route. Do not block it with a gate, sign, vehicle or pitch.
The 100m buffer zone in Wales
The 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule needs careful handling.
For Class BA, the 100m provision relates to protected dwellings. It is not a universal highway visibility splay. It is not a rule that gives every campsite a 100m road entrance requirement.
The provision can exclude land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling, subject to the wording and exceptions in the legislation. One important exception relates to the use of a private way.
A narrow lane does not automatically remove the buffer. A narrow lane does not automatically satisfy it either.
Measure the distance correctly. Identify the relevant dwelling. Show the measurement on your plan. Then assess the entrance separately.
If the campsite sits close to the 100m limit, place the pitches and facilities carefully. Do not assume that moving the gate solves the buffer issue. Keep the legal test and the highway test separate.
See our guide to measuring and proving the 100m buffer zone in Wales.
Low-cost upgrades that can satisfy a highways officer
You may not need to redesign the whole site.
Start with the entrance.
- Widen the bell mouth.
- Move the gate back from the road.
- Add a compacted gravel apron.
- Seal the first few metres.
- Trim hedges within the lawful visibility area.
- Add a passing place.
- Install clear arrival signs.
- Use a speed limit sign inside the site.
- Add a no-pitch zone beside the entrance.
- Keep bins and parked vehicles away from the gate.
- Use downward-facing lighting.
- Avoid glare toward the public road.
- Mark the turning area.
- Keep the emergency route open.
Use signs that drivers can read before they reach the gate. Tell guests where to wait. Tell them not to queue on the highway.
Evidence to send with a prior approval campsite application
Do not submit a site location plan alone.
Send evidence that answers the highways questions before they are asked.
Include:
-
An access plan
Show the road, gate, visibility areas, passing places, internal track, turning area and no-pitch zones. -
A swept path drawing
Use the largest vehicle expected on site. Include a caravan, motorhome or trailer if guests may bring them. -
Traffic counts
Count vehicles on the lane during suitable periods. Record the date, time, weather and method. -
An arrival and departure statement
Explain your peak windows. State how many vehicles may arrive in one hour. -
A booking and arrival plan
Spread arrivals through timed or agreed windows. Use pitch booking data to show that vehicles will not arrive together. -
Photographs
Show the gate, road width, sight lines, verges and nearby passing places. -
A maintenance statement
Explain who will keep hedges, lights, signs, surfaces and access routes safe.
Traffic evidence does not need to be complicated. It must be clear and honest.
If the lane is quiet, show that. If the lane is busy at school time, show that too. Then explain how your booking system avoids that period.
How to keep access safe all season
Approval is not the end of the work.
Set arrival windows. Give guests clear instructions before they travel. Tell them where to wait if the gate is closed.
Do not allow pitching on the access track. Keep the track wide enough for emergency vehicles. Do not store equipment beside the entrance.
Check the gate after heavy rain. Repair potholes. Remove mud from the highway. Keep signs visible. Test lighting. Keep lights downward-facing.
Review the route during busy weekends. Watch how towing vehicles turn. Change your instructions if drivers struggle.
This supports your farm diversification camping plan and reduces complaints from neighbours, highway officers and emergency services.
How to answer a highways objection or condition
Read the objection line by line.
Separate the issues. One point may concern visibility. Another may concern gate position. A third may concern vehicle tracking.
Answer each point with a drawing, photograph or short statement.
You may be able to:
- Move the gate.
- Add a gravel apron.
- Remove one pitch near the entrance.
- Add a passing place.
- Restrict arrivals to set windows.
- Provide a revised swept path.
- Add a maintenance condition.
- Confirm emergency access arrangements.
Do not redraw the entire scheme unless the officer asks for it.
If the authority proposes a condition, check that it is clear, necessary and workable. Confirm who will complete the work and when.
For more planning context, read our guide to prior approval campsites in 2026 and our Class BC and Class BA comparison.
Plan the entrance before you plan the pitches
Your access is part of the campsite.
Check the road. Measure the gate. Draw the vehicle route. Show the evidence. Fix low-cost problems before submission.
This gives your permitted development rights campsite UK project a stronger start.
Rules differ between England and Wales. Check the legislation and speak to the relevant local planning and highways teams before work begins.
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