Meta description: Prior approval campsite refused in 2026? Learn how landowners can appeal or resubmit under Class BC in England and Class BA in Wales.
Hello, farmer, pub owner, hotel operator or rural landowner.
A refused campsite application is not always the end.
Read the decision notice.
Separate legal issues from fixable design issues.
Then choose between an appeal, a fresh submission or full planning permission.
This guide explains what to do under Class BC camping England, Class BA camping Wales, and the wider camping legislation UK 2026.
This article gives general information. Check the current legislation, your local planning authority and professional advice before operating a site.
Start with the correct permitted development right
Class BC camping in England
Class BC allows a temporary recreational campsite for:
- Up to 60 days in one calendar year
- Up to 50 pitches
- Moveable structures reasonably needed for the campsite
It does not create a permanent campsite.
It does not cover every type of caravan.
It does not allow permanent toilet blocks, hardstanding, tracks or new access works.
Class BC has a specific prior approval requirement.
It applies when the proposed campsite is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
You must apply before the campsite starts in each calendar year.
Read the official Class BC legislation.
Class BA camping in Wales
Wales introduced Class BA for temporary recreational campsites from 1 September 2026.
Class BA allows:
- Up to 60 days outside protected landscapes
- Up to 28 days in National Parks, National Landscapes and World Heritage Sites
- Moveable structures reasonably needed for the use
Wales also has a statutory 100 metre buffer zone campsite Wales restriction.
Class BA does not apply within 100 metres of a protected dwelling, except for an existing private way used for access or egress.
A protected dwelling is a home occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
Check the Welsh Government temporary campsite guidance.
Check whether your case is a refusal or a delay
The next step depends on the decision.
England: Class BC timescale
The local planning authority has 56 days to decide a Class BC prior approval application.
The application must include:
- A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment
- Warning arrangements
- Evacuation arrangements
- The required fee
The Environment Agency must be consulted.
It must receive at least 21 days to respond.
You must not start the campsite before written approval.
You may also proceed after 56 days have passed without the council notifying you whether approval is granted or refused.
Keep proof of submission.
Keep the validation date.
Do not rely on an informal email.
Wales: Class BA has two stages
Wales uses a two-stage process.
First, submit the Class BA notification and site plan.
The plan must show:
- Pitches and amenities
- Toilets and wastewater facilities
- Waste arrangements
- Highway access
- Operating dates
The council has 28 days to decide whether prior approval is required.
If it says no, or does not respond within 28 days, you may operate in line with the submitted details.
If it requires prior approval, submit the requested information.
The council should decide within eight weeks.
You need written approval before starting.
Use the Welsh Class BA prior approval form.
Understand the most common refusal reasons
A refusal may identify one issue or several.
Read every reason.
Find the legislation, policy or evidence behind it.
1. The 100 metre buffer is breached
This is mainly a Welsh Class BA issue.
Measure from the protected dwelling to the proposed camping area.
Do not measure only from the site entrance.
Do not assume a field boundary creates compliance.
If any proposed camping area falls within the 100 metre restriction, Class BA cannot authorise that area.
Move the pitches beyond the buffer.
Remove the affected area.
Or apply for full planning permission.
The buffer does not automatically apply to an existing private way used for lawful access or egress.
Check the position with the council before resubmitting.
England’s Class BC rules do not contain the same national 100 metre buffer.
An English council should not treat the Welsh Class BA rule as an England-wide Class BC requirement.
2. Flood risk is not addressed
This is central to an England Class BC prior approval campsite application.
A weak Flood Risk Assessment can lead to refusal.
Common gaps include:
- No site-specific flood information
- No safe evacuation route
- No warning system
- No assembly point
- No closure procedure
- No explanation of vehicle evacuation
- No plan for toilets and waste during flooding
Update the assessment.
Map flood sources.
Show safe access.
Show where campers will go.
Explain how you will stop arrivals during unsafe conditions.
For Wales, land in Flood Zones 2 or 3 is excluded from Class BA.
You may need full planning permission instead.
Do not use the English Class BC route for Welsh land.
3. Highway access is unsafe
Highway access is a key Class BA issue in Wales.
The council may require prior approval where the campsite could create a material increase or change in traffic.
Show:
- Visibility splays
- Entry and exit points
- Internal turning
- Parking
- Queuing space
- Emergency access
- Pedestrian movement
- Maximum pitch numbers
- Arrival arrangements
Do not allow vehicles to wait on the public highway.
Do not show an access route that cannot handle campers, delivery vehicles and emergency services.
In England, highway concerns may still matter through other planning, safety or licensing controls.
They do not expand the narrow Class BC flood-risk prior approval test.
4. Drainage and wastewater are unclear
Drainage failures create pollution, nuisance and enforcement risks.
Show the full system.
Include:
- Toilet type
- Wastewater storage
- Capacity
- Collection frequency
- Discharge arrangements
- Surface water controls
- Emergency overflow procedures
- Waste contractor details
In Wales, toilets, wastewater and waste disposal are express Class BA prior approval matters.
A vague site plan is not enough.
In England, provide the information anyway.
It supports safe operation and may identify separate planning or environmental issues.
5. Noise and neighbour impact are not managed
Noise is not a separate Class BC prior approval test in the same way as flood risk.
It can still create problems.
Neighbours may complain about:
- Late-night activity
- Generators
- Music
- Vehicle movements
- Fires
- Dogs
- Waste
- Poor site management
Add a management plan.
Set quiet hours.
Control generators.
Set fire rules.
Keep pitches away from nearby homes where possible.
Provide a contact number.
Record complaints and responses.
This will not cure an ineligible Class BC or Class BA site.
It can show that your operation is controlled.
Build a stronger evidence pack
Do not resubmit the same application with a new covering letter.
Correct the evidence.
Use one coordinated pack.
Include:
-
A response table
Quote each refusal reason, state your correction and identify the supporting document. -
A scaled site plan
Show boundaries, pitches, toilets, waste facilities, access, parking and emergency routes. -
A constraints plan
Mark flood zones, protected sites, listed buildings, nearby homes and the Welsh 100 metre buffer where relevant. -
A flood report
Use a site-specific assessment for England Flood Zone 2 or 3 land. -
A highway note
Explain visibility, turning, queuing and emergency access. -
A drainage and waste plan
State capacities, contractors, collection dates and pollution controls. -
A management plan
Cover noise, quiet hours, fires, vehicles, waste, complaints and closure. -
A date schedule
List every operating day in the calendar year. -
A compliance statement
Confirm pitch numbers, structure types, caravan limits and annual day limits.
Make the plans match the form.
Make the dates match the booking system.
Make the pitch count match the site plan.
Choose appeal or resubmission
Appeal the refusal
Appeal when:
- The council applied the wrong permitted development class
- The refusal relies on the wrong legal test
- The site meets the national conditions
- The evidence was ignored
- The council treated prior approval as full planning permission
- The decision contains a clear factual error
For an England Class BC refusal, appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.
A non-householder prior approval appeal normally has a six-month deadline from the decision notice.
Check the notice.
Check the latest Planning Inspectorate appeal guidance.
For a Welsh Class BA refusal, appeal to the Welsh Ministers through Planning and Environment Decisions Wales.
The usual deadline is six months from the decision notice.
A failure to decide within the eight-week prior approval period can also create an appeal route.
Do not wait for the season to approach.
Resubmit the application
Resubmit when:
- The refusal is based on missing information
- The layout can move outside the buffer
- The drainage system can be corrected
- The highway access can be improved
- The flood evidence can be strengthened
- The pitch count can be reduced
- The operating dates can be changed
A fresh application must solve the refusal.
Do not simply repeat the same plan.
Apply for full planning permission
Use full planning permission when:
- The Welsh 100 metre restriction prevents Class BA use
- The site is in a Welsh Flood Zone 2 or 3 area
- You want a permanent campsite
- You need fixed buildings
- You need hardstanding or permanent access works
- You want longer operation
- The proposal falls outside Class BC or Class BA
Permitted development rights are limited.
Do not stretch them beyond their wording.
Remember the 28-day rule
The old 28-day rule is not a universal campsite right.
In England, ordinary camping was removed from the standard Class B temporary land-use route.
Class B now has limited application for camping, including festival-related use.
Class BC is the main temporary recreational campsite route in England.
In Wales, camping moved from Class B to Class BA on 1 September 2026.
The 28-day limit now applies under Class BA in National Parks, National Landscapes and World Heritage Sites.
Outside those areas, Class BA may allow up to 60 days.
Count days by calendar year.
Camping facilities left open count as use.
Unused pitches do not create extra days.
A fresh layout does not reset the clock.
Get pre-application advice before resubmitting
Ask the council focused questions.
Provide the draft plan.
Ask whether:
- The correct class has been selected
- The site is excluded
- The 100 metre buffer applies
- Prior approval is required
- The evidence is sufficient
- The access arrangement is workable
- Full planning permission is needed
Keep the response.
Pre-application advice does not guarantee approval.
It can prevent another incomplete submission.
Open Sky Adventure can help
Open Sky Adventure supports farmers, pubs, hotels and rural landowners with licensed camping and land-based adventure.
Start with our guide to prior approval campsite applications in 2026.
Review Class BC and Class BA guidance.
Then join the group and sign up on our website.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.