Hello, farmer, hospitality owner or rural landowner.
Your land may support a temporary campsite.
Check the planning route first.
This guide explains Class BC camping in England, Class BA camping in Wales, the temporary campsite 60 days rule, prior approval, documents, fees and common problems.
Use it to plan your 2026 application.
This article gives general information. It is not legal or planning advice. Check the current legislation and speak with your local planning authority before taking bookings.
Class BC and Class BA: the short answer
England and Wales now use different permitted development rights for temporary campsites.
England uses Class BC.
You can use land as a recreational campsite for up to:
- 60 days in total each calendar year
- 50 pitches
- Moveable structures needed for the campsite
You must provide toilets and waste facilities.
You must notify the local planning authority each year.
Prior approval is needed if the proposed site is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
Read the Class BC legislation.
Wales uses Class BA.
You can use most eligible land for up to 60 days each calendar year.
The limit falls to 28 days in:
- National Parks
- Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, now called National Landscapes
- World Heritage Sites
You must submit an annual determination application.
The council then decides whether prior approval is required.
Read the Welsh Government guidance.
What happened to the 28-day rule?
The old 28-day rule still causes confusion.
In England, ordinary temporary camping should now use Class BC. The general Class B right mainly covers camping linked to a festival.
In Wales, Class BA now provides the main route for temporary recreational campsites.
The Welsh 28-day limit still applies in protected landscapes and World Heritage Sites.
Count the days across the calendar year.
The days do not need to be consecutive.
For example, you could operate during:
- Bank holidays
- School holidays
- Selected weekends
- Event periods
Keep one annual record.
Do not count by season.
Count from 1 January to 31 December.
Do not split one campsite operation between fields to avoid the limit. The council may view the use as one development.
Step 1: Check whether Class BC or Class BA applies
Start with the site location.
Do not start with the number of pitches.
For land in England
Check whether Class BC is available.
The right does not apply on certain sites, including:
- Scheduled monuments
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- Listed building sites
- Safety hazard areas
- Military explosives storage areas
Check for an Article 4 Direction.
Check local restrictions.
Use the GOV.UK flood risk service and the Flood Map for Planning.
If any part of the proposed campsite sits in Flood Zone 2 or 3, prior approval is required.
For land in Wales
Check the wider list of exclusions.
Class BA does not apply on or within several protected locations, including:
- Scheduled monuments
- Special Areas of Conservation
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- Ramsar sites
- Special Protection Areas
- Listed building sites
- Safety hazard areas
- Military explosives storage areas
- Flood Zones 2 and 3
A 100-metre buffer also applies around a protected dwelling.
A protected dwelling means a dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
Map nearby homes.
Draw the 100-metre buffer.
Keep pitches, facilities and campsite use outside the restricted area.
Check the position with your Welsh planning authority if ownership or occupation is unclear.
Step 2: Set your dates and pitch numbers
Choose your dates before you apply.
List every operating date.
Stay within:
- 60 days in most areas
- 28 days in designated Welsh areas
- 50 pitches under Class BC in England
Check the exact Welsh site limits and current local interpretation before submitting.
Show each pitch on the plan.
Number them.
Mark the location of:
- Tents
- Motorhomes
- Campervans
- Toilets
- Waste points
- Water points
- Parking
- Turning areas
- Emergency access
- Assembly points
- Evacuation routes
Class BC and Class BA do not provide a general right to site every caravan type.
In particular, check the rules for towed caravans.
The legislation refers to caravans used as motor vehicles designed or adapted for human habitation, such as some motorhomes and campervans.
Confirm the vehicle type before accepting bookings.
Step 3: Prepare the site plan
A weak plan creates questions.
A clear plan supports your application.
Use a scaled drawing.
Show the full site boundary.
Add a location plan if the application form requests one.
Your detailed site plan should show:
- North point
- Scale
- Site boundary
- Field access
- Highway connection
- Pitch locations
- Parking spaces
- Turning areas
- Toilets
- Wastewater facilities
- Waste storage
- Watercourses
- Nearby homes
- Emergency access
- Fire assembly point
- Evacuation route
- Temporary structures
For Wales, show the 100-metre buffer around protected dwellings.
For England, show the flood zone boundary if relevant.
Make sure the plan matches the written application.
Do not show 20 pitches in the form and 24 pitches on the drawing.
Step 4: Explain toilets, wastewater and waste
Both regimes require proper facilities.
Show where users will find them.
Explain how you will:
- Inspect toilets
- Store waste
- Remove waste
- Manage wastewater
- Access facilities
- Protect watercourses
- Keep records
Use temporary facilities that match the size of the site.
Include servicing arrangements.
Name your waste contractor if known.
Add collection frequency.
Explain what happens during full occupancy.
Do not open first and solve sanitation later.
Planning approval does not remove duties under environmental health, waste, water or public health law.
Check those requirements separately.
Step 5: Deal with flood risk
Flood risk is the main statutory prior approval issue under Class BC.
If land in England sits in Flood Zone 2 or 3, submit a site-specific Flood Risk Assessment.
Include:
- Flood sources
- River and surface water risk
- Ground levels
- Flood depth and flow
- Climate change
- Pitch locations
- Facility locations
- Safe access
- Safe exit routes
- Warning arrangements
- Evacuation procedures
- Assembly point
- Staff responsibilities
- Booking cancellation procedures
Camping creates a direct safety issue.
Guests may be asleep.
They may not know the area.
Phone coverage may be poor.
Set out what happens before an alert, during an alert and during evacuation.
Do not rely on a generic flood statement.
The assessment must relate to your field, your layout and your operation.
England: the Class BC process
Submit the prior approval application to the local planning authority.
Include:
- Completed application form
- Site plan
- Site-specific Flood Risk Assessment
- Warning arrangements
- Evacuation plan
- Operating dates
- Toilet and waste information
- Required fee
The Planning Portal prior approval form is designed for temporary campsites in Flood Zones 2 and 3.
The council must consult the Environment Agency.
The consultation must allow at least 21 days for a response.
The decision period is 56 days from receipt of the application.
Do not start before:
- Written prior approval is issued, or
- 56 days pass without the council notifying you whether approval is granted or refused.
Keep proof of receipt.
Record the date the council receives the application.
Apply again for each calendar year in which you use the Class BC right in Flood Zone 2 or 3.
Outside Flood Zones 2 and 3, you still need to send the annual written notification. Prior approval is not normally required under Class BC.
Wales: the Class BA process
Submit an annual determination application before starting the campsite.
Include:
- Site plan
- Toilets
- Wastewater facilities
- Waste disposal facilities
- Pitch and amenity locations
- Highway access
- Operating dates
- Required fee
The council has 28 days from receipt to:
- Confirm that the application is valid
- Tell you that prior approval is not required
- Tell you that prior approval is required
- Tell you that the application does not comply with the submission requirements
The council must determine that prior approval is required where the use is likely to create a material increase in traffic or a material change in the character of traffic near the site.
If required, submit the second prior approval application.
The council may ask for information about impacts or risks.
It may consult the highway authority or other relevant bodies.
It must allow at least 21 days for a consultee response where consultation takes place.
Do not start until you receive written confirmation that prior approval is not required, or written prior approval is granted.
The Welsh order does not set one universal 56-day decision period for the second stage. Ask the council for its timetable.
What about transport, noise and contamination?
This is where applications often become confused.
Transport
Transport is a formal Class BA issue in Wales.
Review:
- Highway access
- Visibility
- Road width
- Passing places
- Parking
- Turning space
- Emergency access
- Arrival and departure times
- Traffic near the site
Under Class BC in England, transport is not the stated prior approval matter. It still matters to site design, highway safety and any separate planning application.
Noise
Noise is not listed as a standalone Class BC prior approval matter.
The Class BA legislation also focuses on the matters set out in the order, including access, toilets, wastewater and waste.
Still prepare a noise plan.
Set:
- Quiet hours
- No amplified music rules
- Group limits
- Fire and gathering rules
- Complaint contacts
- Staff response procedures
Noise can affect neighbours, licensing, environmental health and any full planning application.
Contamination
Contamination is not an express Class BC prior approval test.
It may still matter where land has a history of industrial, landfill, fuel or intensive agricultural use.
Check the land before inviting guests.
Obtain a desk study or specialist report where risk exists.
Do not place pitches beside old tanks, filled ground, waste areas or chemical storage without checking the risk.
For Wales, the council may request information about impacts or risks during the prior approval process. Provide proportionate evidence where contamination is known or suspected.
Fees and timelines in 2026
England
The 2026 Class BC prior approval fee for a campsite in Flood Zone 2 or 3 is £249 per application under the national fee schedule in force from 1 April 2026.
Check the latest GOV.UK planning fee guidance before submitting.
Budget separately for:
- Flood Risk Assessment
- Site survey
- Planning support
- Drainage advice
- Highway advice
- Environmental reports
Wales
The Class BA order refers to any fee required to be paid.
It does not state one fixed fee in the order.
Ask your Welsh local planning authority to confirm:
- The annual determination fee
- The fee for any later prior approval application
- The current submission method
- Required supporting documents
Submit early.
Do not work backwards from your first booking.
Common rejection and delay reasons
Avoid these mistakes:
- Starting before approval or the correct 28-day period
- Missing the annual application or notification
- Exceeding 60 days
- Using 60 days in a Welsh protected landscape
- Ignoring the 100-metre buffer in Wales
- Submitting an unclear site plan
- Omitting toilet or waste arrangements
- Using a generic flood assessment
- Failing to show evacuation routes
- Underestimating traffic
- Providing inconsistent dates
- Adding pitches after approval
- Ignoring environmental designations
- Treating planning permission as a campsite licence
Check every document before submission.
Keep one compliance file.
Record dates, plans, correspondence, inspections and incidents.
Use farm diversification camping with a clear plan
A temporary campsite can support farm diversification camping.
It can also support a pub, hotel or rural hospitality business.
Start with the land.
Check the designation.
Map the homes.
Confirm the flood position.
Choose the dates.
Draw the site.
Plan the facilities.
Submit the correct application.
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This guide covers camping legislation UK 2026 at a general level. Check the current order, local planning policy, licensing requirements and site-specific risks before operating.