Meta description: Learn what happens when an LPA misses the Class BC or Class BA campsite prior approval deadline, including deemed consent, extensions, appeals and late-season bookings.
Hello, farmer, landowner, pub owner or hotel operator.
Your campsite application is in.
The deadline passes.
Your planner stays silent.
Do not guess what that means.
Check the correct rule, record the dates, chase the LPA, then choose your next step.
This guide covers prior approval campsites, Class BC camping in England, Class BA camping in Wales, and permitted development rights for campsites in the UK.
It reflects the 2026 position. Check the current legislation and obtain site-specific advice before you open.
Start with the correct planning route
The old 28-day camping rule does not work in the same way across England and Wales.
England: Class BC
Class BC allows a temporary recreational campsite for up to:
- 60 days in a calendar year
- 50 pitches
- Moveable structures needed for the campsite
You must notify the local planning authority each year.
Prior approval is mainly relevant where the site is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
The application must cover matters such as flood risk, toilets and waste facilities.
Read the Class BC provisions in the English GPDO.
Wales: Class BA
Class BA provides the current 2026 route for temporary recreational campsites in Wales.
The annual limit is generally:
- 60 days on ordinary land
- 28 days in National Parks, National Landscapes and World Heritage Sites
You must apply each year for a determination of whether prior approval is required.
The application covers:
- Toilets and wastewater
- Waste disposal
- Vehicular access
Read the Welsh Class BA legislation, then check the Welsh Government campsite guidance and form.
Class BA is not a blanket campsite approval.
Check the 100-metre buffer from protected dwellings, site designations, flood risk, access, drainage and licensing.
The decision timeline
Use this table when planning your farm diversification camping project.
| Stage | England Class BC | Wales Class BA |
|---|---|---|
| Check the right | Confirm the site fits Class BC | Confirm the site fits Class BA |
| Submit | Send the annual notification, plus prior approval application where required | Send the annual determination application |
| Main deadline | 56 days for the prior approval decision | 28 days for the determination of whether prior approval is required |
| If the LPA responds | Follow the written decision | If prior approval is required, submit the further application |
| If the LPA stays silent | Deemed approval may arise after 56 days, if the application is valid and no extension applies | The legislation may treat prior approval as not required after the 28-day period, subject to the statutory conditions |
| Before opening | Meet every Class BC limit and condition | Meet every Class BA limit and condition, and obtain further approval if required |
Record the date the LPA receives the application.
Do not rely only on the date you press “send”.
Keep the acknowledgement, fee receipt, reference number, plans and submitted documents.
What deemed consent means
“Deemed consent” does not mean that the council has approved every part of your business.
It means the permitted development rules may allow the proposal to proceed because the LPA did not issue the required notice within the statutory period.
For Class BC camping in England, the key points are:
- The application must be valid.
- The LPA must have received it.
- The 56-day period must have expired.
- The LPA must not have issued an approval or refusal.
- No written extension of time must have been agreed before the deadline.
- Every other Class BC condition must still be met.
For Class BA camping in Wales, the first 28-day stage concerns whether prior approval is required.
If the LPA does not issue the required determination within the period, the legislation can treat prior approval as not required, subject to the application being valid and compliant.
Do not treat silence as permission to ignore the rules.
Deemed consent does not:
- Increase the number of permitted days
- Increase the number of pitches
- Remove the 100-metre buffer in Wales
- Remove flood, highway or drainage duties
- Approve permanent buildings
- Replace a campsite licence
- Replace an environmental permit
- Cure an invalid or incomplete application
- Authorise a different layout from the one submitted
- Cover a site outside the permitted development class
Keep evidence of your calculation.
Consider applying for a certificate of lawfulness if you need stronger evidence for a lender, insurer, buyer, business partner or enforcement query.
Extensions of time need care
An extension changes the date when the LPA must decide.
For a Class BC prior approval application in England, do not accept a casual phone call as an extension.
Ask for the agreement in writing.
The written record should state:
- The application reference
- The original deadline
- The new decision date
- What remains outstanding
- Who agreed the extension
- The date of agreement
The extension should be agreed before the original statutory period expires.
If you agree a valid extension, do not rely on deemed consent at day 56.
Treat the extended date as the working deadline.
Wales needs a separate check.
The Class BA 28-day period applies to the initial determination stage. If the LPA says prior approval is required, ask which further procedure and deadline apply to the next application.
Do not agree an open-ended delay.
Ask the case officer to identify the legal basis for any extension and confirm whether your site can operate while the application is outstanding.
Weekly checklist from submission to determination
Use this as your weekly process.
Week 0: Submit correctly
- Check the site location.
- Check the land designation.
- Check the annual operating dates.
- Submit the right form.
- Include a scaled site plan.
- Show pitches, toilets, waste and access.
- Save the submission receipt.
Week 1: Confirm validation
Ask the LPA to confirm that the application is valid.
Ask whether the statutory clock has started.
If the LPA says information is missing, ask for the exact requirement in writing.
Do not leave a validation issue unresolved.
Week 2: Check consultation
Ask whether the required consultees have been contacted.
For an English Flood Zone site, ask whether the Environment Agency consultation is complete.
Keep copies of responses.
Week 3: Check the file
Review the submitted plan.
Make sure your booking dates match the dates in the application.
Do not move pitches, add facilities or increase capacity without checking the planning effect.
Week 4: Chase the case officer
Send a short email.
Ask for the current position.
Do not send an emotional message.
Do not accuse the officer of delay.
Week 5: Prepare for the deadline
Calculate the exact decision date.
Check whether the LPA has issued any notice.
Ask whether the authority seeks a written extension.
Do not agree to one without reviewing the effect on your opening date.
Final week: Protect your position
Send a final written request.
State the deadline.
Ask for a decision or a clear legal position.
Prepare a deemed consent evidence pack if the rules support it.
Do not open early.
After the deadline
Save proof that no decision arrived.
Check your application again.
Confirm that no extension was agreed.
Take planning advice before relying on deemed consent for a busy commercial site.
Use this follow-up email wording
Keep your email factual.
Subject: Class BC or Class BA campsite prior approval, statutory deadline [reference]
Dear [case officer],
I am following up on the Class [BC/BA] campsite submission for [site address], reference [number].
The LPA received the application on [date]. On that basis, the statutory determination period appears to end on [date].
Please confirm:
- Whether the submission is valid,
- Whether any information remains outstanding,
- Whether consultation is complete,
- Whether the LPA expects to issue a decision by [deadline], and
- Whether the LPA seeks any written extension of time.
Please also confirm the planning effect if no notice is issued by the statutory deadline.
I will continue to follow the submitted site plan and all permitted development conditions.
Kind regards,
[Name]
Ask for clarity.
Do not ask the officer to “approve it quickly”.
Ask what the authority has received, what remains, and what happens at the deadline.
If the LPA refuses approval
Do not open the campsite.
Read the decision notice.
Check the reason.
Common issues may involve:
- Flood risk
- Highway safety
- Wastewater
- Waste collection
- Access
- Site layout
- Missing information
- Failure to meet the permitted development class
You normally have two practical routes.
Appeal
A prior approval refusal can usually be challenged through the planning appeal system.
For England, check the decision notice and the Planning Inspectorate.
For Wales, check the notice and the Welsh planning appeal route through Business Wales planning guidance.
Use the deadline stated on the decision notice.
Prepare the original plans, the refusal reasons, photographs, access details and your response to each issue.
Resubmit
Resubmit when the problem is clear and fixable.
Change the layout.
Reduce the number of pitches.
Move the access.
Improve wastewater arrangements.
Add the missing evidence.
Do not submit the same package and expect a different result.
Ask the LPA whether a revised submission is acceptable.
Record that answer.
If approval arrives late in the season
Late approval creates a business problem.
It does not remove the planning limits.
Do this:
- Check the approval notice.
- Check the approved layout.
- Check the approved operating dates.
- Recalculate your annual days.
- Confirm toilets, waste and access are ready.
- Update your booking terms.
- Contact guests with the confirmed opening dates.
- Offer a refund, transfer or alternative date where needed.
- Keep all customer communications.
- Do not operate outside the approved or permitted period.
A late approval may still support a short season.
It may also make opening commercially unwise.
Protect your reputation.
Do not squeeze extra bookings into dates that were not covered.
Use the remaining season to test the layout, record incidents and improve next year’s submission.
De-risk your 2026 campsite now
Build a planning file before you advertise.
Include:
- Application forms
- Site plans
- LPA acknowledgements
- Emails
- Consultation responses
- Decision notices
- Operating calendars
- Waste records
- Toilet servicing records
- Access checks
- Booking dates
- Customer communications
Open Sky Adventure helps landowners, farmers, pubs and hotels plan outdoor experiences around clear site rules and safe operations.
Read our land and farm diversification guide, review the legal information, and contact Open Sky Adventure before you commit to a campsite layout.
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