Meta description: Learn how pubs and hotels can add campsite pitches in 2026, covering Class BC, Class BA, prior approval, 28-day and 60-day rules, licensing and site checks.
Hello, pub owner or hotel operator.
Your spare field may support camping.
Your existing permission may not.
Check the planning position before you advertise pitches, take bookings or buy equipment.
This guide covers camping legislation UK 2026, Class BC camping England, Class BA camping Wales, the temporary campsite 60 days rule, the 28-day rule, licensing and practical site management.
This is a practical guide, not legal advice. Confirm your position with your Local Planning Authority, licensing team and insurer.
Start with the planning question
A pub or hotel already has planning permission.
That permission usually covers the approved use of the building and its defined land.
It does not automatically cover a separate campsite.
A campsite can create a new planning use. It can also create:
- New vehicle movements
- Guest noise
- Waste activity
- Toilet and drainage demand
- Fire risks
- Visual impacts
- Highway issues
- Neighbour complaints
Treat the campsite as a separate project.
Check your existing planning permission, approved plans and conditions.
Check whether the proposed pitches sit within the same planning unit.
Check whether the campsite is ancillary to the pub or hotel, or a separate commercial use.
Ask the LPA for written advice before you rely on the existing permission.
Do not assume that sharing your car park makes the campsite part of the hotel use.
England: use Class BC with care
In England, Class BC camping is the main permitted development route for a temporary recreational campsite.
It can allow:
- Up to 60 days in one calendar year
- Up to 50 pitches
- Tents
- Motorhomes and campervans where the relevant conditions are met
- Moveable structures reasonably needed for the campsite
You must notify the LPA before campsite use starts in each calendar year.
Include:
- A site plan
- Operating dates
- Pitch locations
- Toilets
- Waste disposal facilities
- Access and emergency access
Read the official Class BC legislation.
Do not rely on the old 28-day rule
The traditional 28-day rule sits under Class B.
It does not provide the normal route for a standard temporary campsite in England.
For ordinary recreational camping, use Class BC where you qualify.
Class B has a narrower role, including some festival-related uses.
Do not use the old 28-day rule because it appears simpler.
Keep a full operating calendar.
Count every campsite day from 1 January to 31 December.
Count the whole site, not each pitch.
Check listed building curtilage
Class BC does not apply to land within the curtilage of a listed building.
This catches hospitality businesses.
A listed pub may include more than the main building.
Its garden, yard, service area, outbuildings and attached land may form part of the curtilage.
Do not place pitches behind a listed hotel and assume the field is separate.
Check the heritage record.
Check the extent of the curtilage.
Check listed outbuildings and historic structures.
If the land is within the curtilage, Class BC may not be available.
You may need a full planning application and listed building advice.
Class BC also has exclusions for sites such as:
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- Scheduled monuments
- Safety hazard areas
- Military explosives storage areas
Check for Article 4 Directions and planning conditions that remove permitted development rights.
There is no national 100-metre buffer in England.
You must still control noise, lighting, privacy, traffic and waste near homes.
Wales: check Class BA and the 100m buffer
Wales has a different route.
From 2026, Class BA camping Wales rules apply to temporary recreational campsites.
The standard limits are:
| Welsh location | Maximum campsite use |
|---|---|
| General land outside protected landscapes | 60 days per calendar year |
| National Park, National Landscape or World Heritage Site | 28 days per calendar year |
The 28-day limit still matters.
It now depends on the location and the Welsh Class BA rules.
Class BA also requires an annual process with the LPA.
Submit details before you start.
Allow the authority’s determination period.
Use the Welsh Government prior approval guidance.
Apply the Welsh 100m buffer zone
Class BA cannot be used on land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling, except for a private way.
This matters to pubs and hotels.
A nearby cottage may count.
A separate flat may count.
Accommodation linked to the business may count if it meets the definition.
Map every dwelling near the proposed pitches.
Measure the 100m buffer on a scaled plan.
Remove camping areas, toilets and waste facilities from restricted land.
Do not measure only from the main pub or hotel entrance.
Do not assume a large field solves the problem.
Read the official Welsh Class BA legislation.
Check Welsh exclusions
Class BA does not apply to land affected by several restrictions.
Check for:
- Listed buildings and their curtilage
- SSSIs
- Special Areas of Conservation
- Special Protection Areas
- Ramsar sites
- Scheduled monuments
- Flood Zones 2 and 3
- Safety hazard areas
- Military explosives storage areas
- Article 4 Directions
- Planning conditions removing permitted development rights
Class BA does not provide a route for touring caravans, static caravans or mobile homes.
Describe every unit clearly.
A motorhome is not automatically a touring caravan.
Ask the LPA and licensing team before you publish the pitch type.
Planning and licensing are separate
Do not confuse permitted development with a site licence.
You may qualify for Class BC or Class BA and still need licensing.
For tent camping, a licence can be triggered when the site is used for:
- 42 consecutive days, or
- 60 days in any 12-month period
Check the position with your local authority.
Caravan and motorhome sites can involve separate licensing rules under the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960.
The key point is simple.
Planning permission does not replace a site licence.
A site licence does not replace planning permission.
Keep both checks in your compliance file.
Read the GOV.UK camping licence guidance and contact the relevant council.
Share facilities without overloading them
Your pub or hotel may already have toilets, parking and waste contracts.
You may be able to share them.
Check capacity first.
Toilets
Calculate peak demand.
Include hotel guests, diners, events staff and campers.
Provide clear routes.
Keep campsite users away from private bedrooms and staff areas.
Check opening hours.
Do not rely on a locked building for emergency toilet access.
Parking
Mark campsite parking separately.
Stop camper vehicles blocking fire routes, delivery bays or disabled spaces.
Keep spaces for hotel guests and diners.
Use signs.
Use a booking system if space is limited.
Waste
Speak to your waste contractor.
Confirm collection frequency.
Add food waste, general waste and recycling capacity.
Secure bins from animals.
Keep campsite waste away from food preparation areas.
Record collections.
Access
Separate campsite traffic from deliveries where possible.
Do not send campers through the main hotel entrance during busy service periods.
Keep an emergency route clear.
Show vehicle turning areas on your plan.
Set operating rules before opening
Write short guest rules.
Include:
- Quiet hours
- Fire arrangements
- Barbecue controls
- Vehicle speed
- Parking location
- Waste sorting
- Dog control
- Emergency contacts
- Check-in and check-out times
Keep campsite traffic away from delivery traffic.
Keep delivery times separate from guest arrival periods.
Use low-level lighting.
Avoid lighting that shines into bedrooms or neighbouring homes.
Review your fire risk assessment.
Provide fire points where needed.
Keep access clear for emergency services.
Check your public liability insurance.
Tell your insurer about camping.
Check whether cover includes tents, campervans, outdoor activities and shared facilities.
If you sell or prepare food, check your food business registration and food safety duties with the local authority.
Do not assume the hotel’s existing policy covers campsite guests.
Green-light and red-light checklist
Green light
Proceed to detailed planning checks when:
- Your site is outside excluded designations.
- Your land qualifies for Class BC or Class BA.
- You have counted the correct 28-day or 60-day limit.
- Your Welsh site sits outside the 100m buffer.
- Your listed building and curtilage position is clear.
- Your campsite use fits the submitted plan.
- You have separate access and emergency routes.
- Toilets and waste facilities have enough capacity.
- Your insurance covers the activity.
- You have checked licensing thresholds.
- You have contacted the LPA and licensing team.
Red light
Stop and get advice when:
- The site sits within listed building curtilage.
- The land is in a Welsh exclusion area.
- The site is in Flood Zone 2 or 3.
- An Article 4 Direction may remove permitted development rights.
- You want touring caravans or static units.
- You plan to exceed 60 days.
- You will operate for 42 consecutive days.
- Your hotel or pub permission has restrictive conditions.
- Campers will use an overloaded toilet or drainage system.
- Vehicles will share a blocked delivery route.
- Your insurer has not confirmed cover.
- You have taken bookings before checking the site.
Build your compliance file
Keep one folder.
Add:
- Existing planning permissions
- Site ownership details
- Site plans
- LPA notifications
- Prior approval decisions
- Operating calendars
- Day-count records
- Licensing correspondence
- Fire risk assessments
- Insurance documents
- Waste contracts
- Toilet servicing records
- Guest rules
- Incident records
Update it each season.
Use the Open Sky Adventure legal guidance and review the latest official rules before you open.
Unlock your land with Open Sky Adventure
Your pub or hotel can create a campsite.
Start with the land.
Check the rules.
Plan the traffic.
Protect your guests, neighbours and business.
Open Sky Adventure helps hospitality owners, farmers and landowners review campsite opportunities, plan site operations and explore licensed camping options.
Visit Unlock Your Land and Potential.
Join the group and sign up on the Open Sky Adventure website.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.