Meta description: Learn how to apply for a campsite Lawful Development Certificate in 2026, prepare evidence, check fees and protect a Class BC camping plan in England.
Hello. If you plan to open a pop-up campsite, check your planning position before buying tents, fire pits or other equipment.
You may be about to spend thousands on a Class BC campsite in England. A Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) can give you formal certainty for less than the cost of much campsite infrastructure.
An LDC is decided on law and evidence. Planning merits are never relevant. The authority does not weigh whether your campsite is a good idea.
Previous advice has said “get an LDC”. Here’s how to do it.
First: Check which rules apply to your land
Class BC under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 is an England-only permitted development right. It allows a recreational campsite for up to 60 days in a calendar year, with no more than 50 pitches. It is subject to conditions, including on-site toilets and waste facilities, written annual notice to the local planning authority (LPA), and flood-zone prior approval where required.
Class BC is already permitted development. An LDC does not replace those requirements. It can confirm how planning law applies to the specific use you describe.
Do not assume the same rules apply across the UK. Wales has its own camping rules, including Class BA and a 28-day limit in certain protected areas. Check the relevant Welsh legislation before planning a Welsh site.
Also check whether your land is excluded from Class BC, for example because it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, scheduled monument or listed building site. Check local Article 4 directions too.
Watch the Lake District Article 4 Direction
On 1 October 2026, the Lake District National Park Authority made an Article 4 Direction to withdraw Class BC rights across the National Park. It is due to take effect on 1 March 2028. The public notice gives the details and consultation deadline.
Under section 192(4) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, a certificate for a proposed use can become void if a material change happens before the use begins. That includes an Article 4 Direction or an amendment to permitted development rights. A certificate granted now for a Lake District campsite that has not started operating could therefore be affected before the 2028 season.
Check current Article 4 maps and the GPDO before applying. A certificate confirms the legal position on the application date. It does not guarantee that the rules will stay the same.
Step 1: Choose the right certificate
There are two types of LDC.
- Section 191: existing use. Apply for a certificate of lawfulness existing use if your campsite use is already happening. It can also cover operations or activity in breach of a planning condition. The LPA assesses the facts on the application date. In broad terms, the use is lawful if enforcement action may not be taken and no enforcement notice is in force, or if planning permission is not required.
- Section 192: proposed use. Apply for a certificate of lawfulness proposed use if you have not started yet. The authority asks whether the described use would be lawful if it began on the application date. This is usually the route for a future campsite.
For England, the planning enforcement time limit has been 10 years for all breaches since 25 April 2024, subject to transitional rules. See section 171B. An existing-use claim may rely on immunity already acquired; the relevant 10-year period need not always be the decade immediately before the application. Get advice on the facts, including any interruption or abandonment of the use.
An established use certificate issued before 1992 can be addressed through a new section 191 application.
Step 2: Build clear evidence
The burden of proof is on you. For an existing-use application, you must show your case on the balance of probabilities. Your evidence must be precise and unambiguous. That standard is discussed in Belmont Riding Centre.
Create a dated file. Keep day logs, photographs, bookings, invoices and witness statements. Undated photographs may help if other evidence supports them. Explain what happened, where, when and how often. Identify the land and the activity clearly.
For a proposed-use application, provide evidence that shows what you intend to do and why it would be lawful. This is what makes useful s192 LDC evidence: it supports a precise proposal, not a vague plan.
Step 3: Describe the use precisely
Use the correct form and apply to the LPA for the site. Include a clear location plan and enough factual information for the authority to determine the application.
Do not write only “campsite”. Describe the proposal in full. For example: tents and motor-vehicle campervans only, up to 50 pitches, operating for no more than 60 days in each calendar year, on named fields.
Make sure the description matches the use you want certified. This matters for unusual or mixed uses, where the planning unit, the land that forms the relevant unit of use, can be important. A poorly framed certificate may leave later changes outside its scope.
An LPA can grant a certificate with a different description from the one you applied for. Government guidance says it should seek your agreement first.
Step 4: Check the LDC application fee for 2026
In England, the fee for a section 192 proposed-use certificate is half the fee for the equivalent planning application. A section 191 existing-use certificate generally costs the full equivalent planning application fee. The exact amount depends on the type of use and the relevant fee category. Check the current government planning fee guidance and ask your LPA to confirm the fee before you submit.
A section 191(1)(c) certificate about a condition has a separate fee. For 2026, check the current indexed fee schedule; do not rely on older online figures such as £293.
The fee must accompany your application. If the application is invalid, the fee is refunded.
Step 5: Allow for the determination process
The target determination period is eight weeks from receipt of a valid application, unless you agree a longer period in writing.
There is no statutory consultation with neighbours or parish councils for an LDC. The authority may seek evidence from others. If it does, it must share that evidence with you and give you an opportunity to comment.
The LPA decides the legal question on the facts. Neighbour views about the planning merits do not decide the application. See the government’s full guide to lawful development certificates.
Step 6: Respond to a refusal
A refusal is not always a final answer on whether the use is lawful. It may mean your evidence was not enough. Review the reasons, gather stronger evidence and consider making a fresh application.
You may also appeal a refusal to the Secretary of State in certain circumstances under section 195. A challenge to a Secretary of State decision on an error of law or procedure goes to the High Court.
Step 7: Protect the certificate
Be accurate and disclose material information. An LPA can revoke a certificate obtained through false statements or withheld information. Revocation brings no compensation and can expose you to enforcement action. Making a false or misleading statement, or withholding material information, is an offence. The maximum penalty on indictment is two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
What an LDC does not cover
An LDC provides planning-law certainty only. It does not replace Building Regulations, listed building consent or other licences and permits. If you add caravans, check whether a site licence is required under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960.
Class BC itself has conditions you must still meet, including annual written notification with a site plan, toilet and waste provision, and prior approval for land in Flood Zone 2 or 3. See the Class BC rules before you operate.
A practical plan before you invest
- Check Article 4 maps, site exclusions and flood zones.
- Apply for a section 192 certificate with a precise use description that matches your Class BC plan.
- Once you operate, keep dated logs, photos and booking records from day one. They may support a future section 191 application.
- Budget for the correct fee: half the equivalent planning fee for proposed use, full fee for existing use.
- Work to the eight-week target. Keep a reapplication plan if the LPA refuses your first application.
For more on local campsite planning, read our guide to neighbours, noise and objections for Class BC or Class BA campsites.
This guide covers camping legislation UK 2026 at a general level. Check the current rules and get site-specific advice before you commit funds.
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