Meta description: Learn how to apply for campsite prior approval in 2026, covering Class BC camping in England, Class BA camping in Wales, documents, council checks, timelines and refusal risks.
Hello, landowner.
Your field may support a temporary campsite.
Start with the right planning route.
Check the limits.
Prepare the site plan.
Submit before you open.
This guide covers camping legislation UK 2026, prior approval campsite applications, Class BC camping England, Class BA camping Wales, the 28-day rule and farm diversification camping.
This is practical guidance. It is not legal advice. Confirm your site position with your local planning authority, licensing team and insurer.
Choose the correct campsite route
England and Wales now use different rules.
| Location | Main permitted development route | Annual limit | Prior approval |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Class BC | 60 days, up to 50 pitches | Required in Flood Zones 2 or 3 |
| Wales | Class BA | 60 days, or 28 days in protected landscapes | Initial determination required each year |
Do not apply Class BC to Welsh land.
Do not apply Class BA to English land.
The standard 28-day rule is not the normal campsite route in England. Class BC is the dedicated right for temporary recreational campsites.
In Wales, Class BA now controls temporary recreational camping. The old Class B right excludes ordinary camping, except for narrow festival-related use.
Read the England Class BC legislation and the Welsh Class BA legislation before you prepare your application.
Step 1: Check whether your land qualifies
England: Class BC camping
Class BC can allow you to:
- Use land as a recreational campsite
- Operate for up to 60 days in one calendar year
- Provide up to 50 pitches
- Use tents, motorhomes and suitable campervans
- Provide movable structures reasonably needed for the campsite
You must provide on-site toilet and waste disposal facilities.
You must notify the local planning authority in writing before the campsite starts each calendar year.
Your notification must include:
- A site plan
- Toilet and waste facilities
- Waste disposal arrangements
- Exact operating dates
Class BC does not apply on certain land, including:
- A scheduled monument
- A Site of Special Scientific Interest
- A listed building site
- A safety hazard area
- A military explosives storage area
Check for Article 4 Directions and planning conditions that remove permitted development rights.
Then check the Environment Agency flood map for planning.
If any part of the proposed campsite sits in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3, you need prior approval before starting that year.
Wales: Class BA camping
Class BA can allow:
- Up to 60 days on ordinary land
- Up to 28 days in a National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site
- Movable structures reasonably needed for the use
Class BA does not apply to land in several restricted locations.
Check for:
- Flood Zones 2 and 3
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- Special Areas of Conservation
- Special Protection Areas
- Ramsar sites
- Scheduled monuments
- Listed buildings
- Safety hazard areas
- Military explosives storage areas
- Land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling
Class BA also restricts caravans. Describe every camping unit clearly.
Do not assume a motorhome, touring caravan and static caravan have the same status.
Step 2: Draw the site plan
Prepare one clear plan.
Show:
- The application boundary
- Pitch locations
- Pitch numbers
- Toilets
- Wastewater facilities
- Waste storage
- Vehicle access
- Emergency access
- Parking
- Turning areas
- Fire points
- Water points
- Nearby dwellings
- Flood zones, where relevant
- The dates of use
Use a recognised scale.
Mark existing features.
Add a north arrow.
Label every facility.
Do not submit a plan that only shows a field outline.
The council must understand how the campsite will operate.
Step 3: Prepare the England prior approval application
You need a prior approval campsite application in England when the site is in Flood Zone 2 or 3.
Use the Planning Portal temporary recreational campsite form.
Submit:
- The completed application form.
- The correct fee.
- A site plan.
- Your operating dates.
- Toilet and waste facility details.
- A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment.
- Flood warning arrangements.
- Evacuation arrangements.
- Safe access and escape information.
Check the current fee with your local planning authority.
Do not use a generic flood report.
The Flood Risk Assessment must address your site.
Explain where campers go if water levels rise.
Explain how you issue warnings.
Explain who manages evacuation.
Show how emergency vehicles reach the site.
Keep the proposal within the Class BC limits.
Do not propose more than 60 days.
Do not propose more than 50 pitches.
Do not include permanent buildings under the movable structure allowance.
Step 4: Understand what the English council checks
The local planning authority must consult the Environment Agency.
The consultation period must allow at least 21 days for a response.
The council will consider:
- Flood risk
- Warning systems
- Evacuation arrangements
- Access and egress
- The Environment Agency response
- The submitted site plan
- The Class BC limits
- Toilet and waste provision
The council may grant prior approval without conditions.
It may also impose conditions linked to the flood risk matters.
The statutory period is 56 days from receipt of the application.
Do not open the campsite when you submit the application.
Start only when:
- You receive written prior approval, or
- 56 days pass without the council notifying you whether approval is granted or refused
Submit early.
Allow at least eight weeks before your first operating date.
Allow more time if your application needs corrections.
Step 5: Follow the Wales Class BA process
Wales uses a two-stage process.
Apply to the local planning authority before beginning development in each calendar year.
Your first submission asks the council whether prior approval is required.
Include:
- A site plan
- Toilet and wastewater arrangements
- Waste disposal arrangements
- Pitch and amenity locations
- Highway access details
- Exact operating dates
- The required fee
The council has 28 days to issue its determination or tell you that the submission is incomplete.
The council may decide that prior approval is not required.
If so, wait for the written notice.
You may also proceed after the 28-day period if the council has not issued the relevant notice.
If prior approval is required, submit the second application.
The council may ask for information about transport and highway effects.
It may consult:
- The local highway authority
- The trunk road authority
- Railway bodies
- Other relevant consultees
The council must allow at least 21 days for consultees where consultation takes place.
Do not begin until you receive written prior approval.
Carry out the campsite in line with the approved details.
If your Welsh site is in a National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site, keep the use within 28 days.
Do not treat the Welsh 60-day limit as universal.
Avoid common refusals
Fix these issues before submission.
Do not submit vague dates
Write exact start and end dates.
Do not write “summer season”.
Do not write “as required”.
Keep one annual calendar.
Count the whole site.
Moving guests between fields does not create extra days.
Do not rely on distant facilities
Class BC requires on-site toilet and waste facilities.
Class BA requires details of toilet, wastewater and waste arrangements.
Show them on the plan.
Explain servicing and collection.
Do not ignore highway access
Mark the entrance.
Show visibility.
Show vehicle movements.
Keep emergency access clear.
In Wales, a material traffic increase can trigger prior approval.
Do not overlook neighbours
England does not have the same national 100-metre buffer used in Welsh Class BA.
You must still manage noise, lighting, privacy, traffic and waste.
In Wales, measure the 100-metre restriction from protected dwellings.
Show the measurement on your plan.
Do not confuse planning with licensing
Permitted development rights do not remove site licensing duties.
You may still need a campsite or caravan site licence.
Check with your council’s licensing and environmental health teams.
Check insurance before taking bookings.
Remember the 28-day rule
The traditional 28-day rule is not a general right to run a campsite in England.
For ordinary temporary recreational camping, check Class BC.
For Wales, check Class BA and the location-based 60-day or 28-day limit.
If you want to operate beyond the permitted development limit, apply for planning permission.
Do not open first and regularise later.
That can create enforcement, licensing and insurance problems.
Use the process for farm diversification camping
Start with one field.
Keep the pitch count manageable.
Separate guests from livestock.
Plan waste collection.
Protect gates and access tracks.
Keep a daily campsite log.
Record:
- Operating dates
- Fields used
- Pitch numbers
- Guest numbers
- Facility checks
- Waste collections
- Flood warnings
- Incidents
- Complaints
Use your records to support future applications.
Read Open Sky Adventure’s guide to Class BC camping in England.
If you operate a pub or hotel, review adding campsite pitches without a planning problem.
Join the Open Sky Adventure group
Check your land.
Choose the correct route.
Prepare the plan.
Submit early.
Keep the records.
Open Sky Adventure helps farmers, rural landowners, pub owners and hotel operators assess land for licensed camping and outdoor tourism.
Visit Open Sky Adventure.
Join the group and sign up on the website.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.