Meta description: Learn how prior approval works for campsites in 2026, including Class BC camping in England, Class BA camping in Wales, site notices, consultations, refusal risks and farm diversification.
Hello, landowner.
Your field may support a temporary campsite.
Start with the correct planning route.
Check the limits.
Design the site.
Submit the right information before opening.
This guide covers camping legislation UK 2026, prior approval campsite applications, permitted development rights campsite UK, Class BC camping England, Class BA camping Wales and farm diversification camping.
This is practical guidance. It is not legal advice. Check your proposal with the relevant local planning authority, licensing team and insurer.
Class BC England and Class BA Wales at a glance
The rules differ by country.
| Location | Permitted development class | Main limit | Prior approval trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Class BC | Up to 60 days, up to 50 pitches | Flood Zone 2 or 3 |
| Wales | Class BA | Up to 60 days, or 28 days in protected landscapes | The council decides whether it is required |
Read the England Class BC legislation and the Welsh Class BA legislation before you plan your site.
When does a campsite need prior approval?
England: Class BC camping
Class BC permits a temporary recreational campsite for:
- Up to 60 days in a calendar year.
- Up to 50 pitches.
- Moveable structures reasonably needed for the campsite.
- Tents, motorhomes and qualifying campervans.
You must provide toilets and waste-disposal facilities on site.
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 facility details.
- Waste-disposal arrangements.
- The dates of use.
A prior approval campsite application is required if any part of the proposed site lies in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
Check the Environment Agency flood map for planning before you draw the final layout.
Class BC also excludes certain land. This includes sites such as:
- Scheduled monuments.
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
- Listed building sites.
- Safety hazard areas.
- Military explosives storage areas.
Check for an Article 4 Direction or a planning condition that removes permitted development rights.
Wales: Class BA camping
Class BA came into force for temporary tented campsites in Wales on 1 September 2026.
It allows:
- Up to 60 days on ordinary land.
- Up to 28 days in a National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site.
- Moveable structures reasonably needed for the campsite.
Class BA does not apply in several restricted locations.
Check whether the land is:
- In Flood Zone 2 or 3.
- On a scheduled monument.
- In a Special Area of Conservation.
- In a Special Protection Area.
- On a Ramsar site.
- On a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- On a listed building site.
- In a safety hazard area.
- In a military explosives storage area.
- Within 100 metres of a protected dwelling.
Class BA also restricts caravan siting. Describe every unit clearly.
Do not assume that a tent, motorhome, touring caravan, static caravan, pod or lodge has the same planning status.
The Welsh Class BA application process
Wales uses an initial determination process.
Apply to the local planning authority before beginning the campsite in each calendar year.
Submit:
- The application form.
- A site plan.
- Pitch and amenity locations.
- Toilet and wastewater details.
- Waste-disposal details.
- Highway access details.
- Exact dates of use.
- Any required fee.
The Welsh Government determination form sets out the information required.
The council has 28 days to:
- Confirm that prior approval is not required.
- Tell you that the application is incomplete.
- Decide that prior approval is required.
You must not begin until you receive written confirmation that prior approval is not required, or the 28-day period expires without the required notice.
If the council decides that prior approval is required, submit the further information it requests.
You then need written approval before opening.
Do not transfer the English 56-day rule to Wales. Class BA has its own 28-day determination stage and a separate prior approval stage.
The England Class BC prior approval process
Step 1: Submit a complete application
For a site in Flood Zone 2 or 3, submit:
- The relevant prior approval form.
- The application fee.
- A scaled site plan.
- Exact operating dates.
- Pitch numbers and locations.
- Toilet and waste details.
- A site-specific Flood Risk Assessment.
- Flood warning arrangements.
- Evacuation arrangements.
- Safe access and exit information.
Use the Class BC legal provisions as your checklist.
Do not submit a vague flood report.
Explain the risks on your site.
Show where campers go during an alert.
Show how emergency vehicles enter and leave.
Step 2: Allow consultation
The local planning authority must notify and consult the Environment Agency.
The consultation must allow at least 21 days for a response.
The council must consider the Environment Agency’s response when deciding the application.
A site notice is not an express Class BC condition in the legislation. The local planning authority may still publicise the application through its planning portal, neighbour letters or a site notice under its normal procedures.
Check the council’s validation and publicity requirements.
Do not assume that neighbour consultation has taken place until you check the application record.
Step 3: Wait for the 56-day decision window
The council has 56 days from receipt of the application.
The campsite must not begin before either:
- You receive written prior approval, or
- 56 days expire without the council notifying you whether approval is granted or refused.
If the council refuses approval, do not open under Class BC.
Change the proposal or seek full planning permission.
Submit early. Allow more than eight weeks before your first operating date.
What will the council assess?
The assessment depends on the permitted development class.
Flooding
Flooding is the central statutory issue for an England Class BC prior approval application.
The council will check:
- Flood depth and probability.
- Warning arrangements.
- Evacuation routes.
- Safe access and exit.
- The Environment Agency response.
- The location of tents, vehicles and facilities.
Wales excludes land in Flood Zones 2 and 3 from Class BA. Check the Welsh flood planning rules before spending money on layout work.
Transport and highway access
Transport is an express Class BA issue in Wales.
The council may require prior approval where the campsite could create a material increase or material change in local traffic.
It may consider:
- The access point.
- Visibility.
- Vehicle numbers.
- Queuing.
- Turning space.
- Highway safety.
- Emergency access.
- Effects on a trunk road, classified road or level crossing.
Class BC England prior approval is focused on flood risk. The council may still raise access, parking or highway issues through other planning controls, licensing work or a separate planning application.
Design the access properly from the start.
Noise and neighbour impact
Noise is not a standalone Class BC prior approval test.
It can still create complaints, enforcement risk and licensing problems.
Set quiet hours.
Control amplified music.
Keep pitches away from homes.
Manage generators, lighting, fires and vehicle movements.
In Wales, measure the 100-metre protected dwelling restriction before finalising the plan.
Heritage and sensitive land
Check heritage constraints before applying.
Class BC and Class BA exclude several sensitive sites.
These include scheduled monuments, listed building sites, protected nature sites and other designated land.
A campsite may also affect a nearby heritage asset even when the pitch area is outside its boundary.
Move pitches away from sensitive features.
Avoid lighting historic buildings.
Protect field boundaries and archaeological remains.
Seek specialist advice where the site has known heritage value.
Siting and landscape
Show why the pitches are in the proposed location.
Place them beside existing boundaries where possible.
Use existing hedges and buildings for screening.
Keep facilities close to the access point.
Avoid steep, wet or exposed ground.
Keep emergency routes clear.
Do not add permanent tracks, hardstanding, buildings or fixed utility structures under a temporary campsite right without checking whether separate permission is needed.
Build a compliant application pack
Prepare these documents before submission:
Site plan
Show:
- The application boundary.
- Every pitch.
- Toilets.
- Wastewater facilities.
- Waste storage.
- Vehicle access.
- Parking.
- Turning areas.
- Emergency access.
- Fire points.
- Water points.
- Nearby dwellings.
- Flood zones.
- Dates of use.
Add a scale, north arrow and clear labels.
Operating statement
State:
- Who will manage the campsite.
- How guests will check in.
- When the site will operate.
- How waste will be collected.
- How wastewater will be removed.
- How emergencies will be managed.
- How complaints will be handled.
- How the site will close outside the approved dates.
Supporting evidence
Add:
- A Flood Risk Assessment for England sites in Flood Zones 2 or 3.
- Access information for Welsh sites.
- Photographs of the field and entrance.
- Evidence of land ownership or control.
- A waste contractor arrangement.
- A management plan.
- An emergency plan.
Keep every document consistent.
Do not show 30 pitches on one plan and 35 on another.
Common refusal reasons
Fix these problems before applying:
- The site exceeds the annual day limit.
- The England proposal exceeds 50 pitches.
- The Welsh site lies within a protected landscape but claims 60 days.
- The site is within 100 metres of a protected dwelling in Wales.
- The site lies in an excluded designation.
- Toilets or wastewater facilities are unclear.
- Waste storage creates pollution or nuisance risk.
- Highway access is unsafe.
- Vehicles may queue onto the public road.
- The Flood Risk Assessment lacks evacuation details.
- The plan shows permanent structures.
- The dates are vague.
- The application conflicts with an Article 4 Direction.
- The applicant starts before written approval is received.
How the 28-day rule fits in
The old 28-day rule is often misunderstood.
In England, do not assume it gives you a general right to run a recreational campsite. Use the dedicated Class BC route and follow its conditions.
In Wales, Class BA now controls ordinary temporary tented camping. The limit is 60 days on ordinary land, or 28 days in a National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site.
Festival-related use may follow a different Class B route.
If you want to operate beyond the permitted development limit, or use permanent accommodation, apply for planning permission.
Planning rights are separate from campsite licensing.
Check whether you need a site licence, caravan site licence, environmental health approval or other consent.
Plan your farm diversification camping site
Start with one field.
Keep the pitch count manageable.
Separate guests from livestock.
Protect farm machinery routes.
Keep a daily operating log.
Record:
- Dates of use.
- Fields used.
- Pitch numbers.
- Facility checks.
- Waste collections.
- Flood warnings.
- Incidents.
- Complaints.
For wider guidance, read Open Sky Adventure’s guide to farm diversification and licensed camping.
You can also review the legal and membership information before joining the group.
Join the Open Sky Adventure group
Check your land.
Choose the correct class.
Draw the site plan.
Submit early.
Keep the records.
Visit Open Sky Adventure.
Join the group and sign up on the website.
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