Meta description: Understand Class BC camping in England and Class BA camping in Wales, then plan legal pitches at your pub, hotel, inn or rural venue in 2026.
A pub, hotel or inn already has guests, staff, parking, toilets and trade systems.
That can make camping easier.
It can also create more risks.
Plan the camping area as a separate operation, connect it to your hospitality offer, check the legal layers, and control how guests move through the site.
The rule in one line
Class BC in England allows a temporary recreational campsite for 60 days a year and up to 50 pitches; Class BA in Wales allows up to 60 days, or 28 days in National Parks, National Landscapes and World Heritage Sites, subject to the 100m protected-dwelling buffer and Welsh prior approval rules.
These rights apply to eligible temporary campsites.
They do not give permission for permanent buildings, permanent hardstanding or every type of caravan.
Read the England Class BC legislation and the latest Welsh Government guidance before you set dates or take bookings.
Why pub and hotel camping needs a different layout
A standalone field may be quiet at night.
A pub or hotel rarely is.
Expect:
- Late guest arrivals
- Alcohol service
- Shared parking
- Kitchen deliveries
- Food and trade waste
- Staff movements
- Emergency vehicles
- Functions and private events
- Residents or neighbours close to the boundary
The camping use can sit beside the existing business.
It should not interfere with it.
Create separate routes for campers, deliveries and staff. Keep emergency access clear. Do not send guests through the kitchen yard. Do not place tents beside bottle storage, waste bins or delivery bays.
Mark the camping entrance.
Add a simple arrival point.
Use pitch numbers and a site plan that staff can follow after dark.
Keep the pub or hotel open to campers if you want to sell food and drink. Keep the campsite itself quiet and controlled.
Paddock, overflow car park or walled garden?
Each site type has a different use.
A paddock
A paddock often gives you the clearest camping layout.
Use temporary pitch markers. Keep tents away from watercourses, steep edges, trees with falling branches and livestock routes. Maintain a firm route for emergency access.
Do not install permanent toilet blocks, cabins or fixed reception buildings under the temporary permitted development rights.
Moveable toilets, waste points and other structures may be possible where they are reasonably necessary for the campsite. Check the position with your local planning authority.
A paddock can work well for:
- Tent pitches
- Small campervan pitches
- A separate check-in point
- A walking route to the pub
- Guided walks and outdoor activities
Do not assume a paddock is suitable because it is unused. Check flooding, access, ecology, neighbouring dwellings and existing planning conditions.
An overflow car park
An overflow car park may offer easy access.
It may also create the most conflict.
Do not mix camping bays with normal customer parking. Reserve spaces for campers. Keep a clear lane for fire and rescue access. Separate tents from delivery vehicles and reversing areas.
Review:
- Surface drainage
- Vehicle turning
- Lighting
- Noise
- Pedestrian safety
- Accessible routes
- Event-day parking
- Waste collection
- Overnight security
Temporary camping does not automatically authorise permanent surfacing, kerbs, drainage works or buildings.
If the site needs fixed infrastructure, submit a full planning application or ask the local planning authority what permission is required.
A walled garden or orchard
A walled garden can offer privacy.
An orchard can create a clear boundary.
Both need careful checks.
Protect trees and roots. Keep pitches away from unstable walls. Avoid blocking maintenance routes. Check whether the hotel, garden or wall is listed or sits within a listed building site.
In England, Class BC is not available on a site of a listed building, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a scheduled monument, a safety hazard area or a military explosives storage area.
A listed pub or hotel needs particular care.
Ask the planning authority about the whole site before advertising pitches.
Can campers use the pub or hotel facilities?
Sometimes.
Do not treat shared facilities as automatic.
Class BC requires on-site toilet and waste disposal facilities for campsite users. A toilet inside the pub may not be enough if it is unavailable when the pub closes, sits across a busy route, or cannot support the number of campers.
Consider separate portable provision when:
- The pub closes before campers return
- The site has late arrivals
- The campsite is more than a short walk away
- The toilets are inside a private hotel area
- The venue hosts events
- The existing toilets are already busy
- Campers need accessible facilities
- Waste storage is shared with food operations
Keep campsite waste separate from kitchen waste. Arrange collection through an approved trade waste provider. Do not place campsite bins beside food preparation areas.
If you share hotel showers, set opening hours and cleaning checks. Tell guests what is available before they book.
The licensing and insurance layers
Planning permission is only one layer.
Check the following before opening.
Caravan site licensing
A campsite licence may be needed under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960, depending on the way you operate.
The temporary planning right does not remove licensing duties.
Ask your council’s licensing team about:
- Total days of operation
- Consecutive operating days
- Number and type of units
- Tents and motorhomes
- Site facilities
- Local exemptions
- Fire safety conditions
Class BC does not cover ordinary caravans. It may cover motor caravans designed or adapted for human habitation. Check each unit type.
Food and alcohol
Your existing premises licence may cover the pub or hotel.
It may not cover every new activity.
Check the position if campers will:
- Drink outside the licensed area
- Use a temporary bar
- Buy alcohol after normal hours
- Eat from a temporary kitchen
- Attend campsite events
- Receive food deliveries
- Join an outdoor tasting or supper
Keep campsite activities within your licence conditions. Speak to the licensing team before you add a bar, event or outdoor service.
Insurance
Tell your insurer about the campsite.
Review:
- Public liability
- Employers’ liability
- Buildings and contents cover
- Business interruption
- Event cover
- Adventure activity cover
- Vehicle movements
- Guest property
- Portable toilets and temporary structures
Your insurer may require a risk assessment, lighting plan, fire plan or written operating procedure.
The 100m buffer in Wales
The Welsh Class BA right has a specific restriction.
You cannot use the right for a campsite on land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling, except for a private way.
A protected dwelling generally means a dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
This matters at hospitality sites.
A cottage next to your pub may be a protected dwelling. So may a house beside your hotel car park. The fact that the dwelling sits next to a commercial venue does not remove the buffer.
Measure the distance before you design pitches.
Do not measure only from the pub entrance. Check the camping land, facilities and access route against the dwelling.
If part of your proposed site falls inside the buffer, redesign the site or ask the Welsh local planning authority what route is available.
The Welsh Class BA right also differs from England’s Class BC. Wales does not use the same statutory 50-pitch cap. Other rules may still limit your operation through licensing, safety, prior approval, environmental controls or planning conditions.
Read the Welsh prior approval guidance before proceeding.
Your short pre-season checklist
Complete this before taking bookings.
- Confirm whether the site is in England or Wales.
- Check listed building status, SSSI status, flood risk and other designations.
- Measure the Welsh 100m protected-dwelling buffer where relevant.
- Draw the pitch plan, access route, facilities and waste points.
- Confirm the dates and pitch numbers.
- Check whether prior approval applies.
- Notify the local planning authority or submit the required determination before opening.
- Ask the licensing team about campsite licensing.
- Confirm food, alcohol and event arrangements.
- Update your insurer and risk assessments.
- Brief staff on arrivals, quiet hours, emergencies and waste.
- Tell neighbours how to contact you.
For England, prior approval under Class BC is required where the proposed campsite is in Flood Zone 2 or 3. The application needs a site-specific flood risk assessment, including warning and evacuation arrangements.
Do not start before the required written approval or the applicable decision period has passed.
Make the offer work for guests
Keep the camping offer simple.
Use clear booking caps. Leave space between pitches. Set quiet hours. Control lighting. Shield lights from bedrooms and neighbouring homes.
Offer:
- Pitch-and-pint packages
- Breakfast add-ons
- Pub supper bookings
- Hotel shower access
- Guided walks
- Navigation sessions
- Wildlife experiences
- Outdoor skills activities
Open Sky Adventure can help you add guided walks and adventure activities to the guest experience. Explore the land and potential service, join the Open Sky Adventure community or get in touch.
Start with fewer pitches.
Test the arrival route.
Review noise, cleaning, waste and parking after each weekend.
Then adjust.
Final point
A pub-and-pitch or hotel-and-pitch offer can fit well with farm diversification camping and rural hospitality.
The site must work as a business.
It must also work as a campsite.
Check the permitted development rights, separate the guest operation from trade movements, confirm licensing and insurance, and ask the local planning authority, licensing team and insurer to confirm your position.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice.
For help with camping legislation UK 2026, site layout and licensed camping options, visit our legal guidance page.
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