Meta description: Learn how pubs, hotels, farmers and rural landowners can add a compliant 60-day campsite in 2026 using permitted development rights in England and Wales.
Hello, pub owner, hotel operator, farmer or rural landowner. Your unused field may support a new income stream.
Start with the rules.
Then plan the site.
Why add camping to your business?
Camping can support your existing trade.
A pub can offer rooms, food, drinks and pitches.
A hotel can add outdoor stays during busy seasons.
A farm can build a second income stream through farm diversification camping.
A rural landowner can use suitable land without building permanent accommodation.
Your campsite can also bring customers to nearby businesses.
Guests may book:
- Meals at your pub
- Breakfasts at your hotel
- Guided walks
- Wildlife activities
- Equipment hire
- Local attractions
- Farm shops
- Outdoor events
Keep the offer simple.
Start with tents, motorhomes or campervans where the legal route allows them.
Do not build permanent pods, lodges or hardstanding until you have checked the planning position.
Check the 2026 planning route first
The old 28-day rule still matters.
But do not treat it as a general campsite licence.
In England, the main permitted development route for a temporary recreational campsite is now Class BC.
In Wales, the main route is Class BA.
The rules differ.
England: Class BC camping
Class BC can allow you to use land as a recreational campsite for up to 60 days in one calendar year.
It also allows:
- Up to 50 pitches
- Tents
- Motorhomes
- Campervans
- Moveable structures reasonably needed for the campsite
Traditional towed caravans do not qualify under Class BC.
You must provide toilets and waste disposal facilities on site.
You must notify your local planning authority before the campsite starts each calendar year.
Your written notification must include a site plan.
Show:
- Pitch locations
- Toilets
- Waste facilities
- Access
- Operating dates
- Emergency routes
You can read the official England Class BC legislation.
England and prior approval
A prior approval campsite process applies if your proposed land sits in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
Apply before opening.
Include a site-specific flood risk assessment, warning arrangements and evacuation plans.
The council must consult the Environment Agency.
Do not start until you receive written approval, or the statutory 56-day period ends without a decision, subject to the legislation and your application being valid.
Check the flood map early.
It can change your site choice.
Read the Open Sky Adventure Class BC guide before you prepare your notification.
Wales: Class BA camping
Class BA applies to temporary recreational campsites in Wales.
Most eligible land can operate for up to 60 days per calendar year.
The limit is 28 days if the land sits in a:
- National Park
- National Landscape
- World Heritage Site
The Welsh rules allow tents, motorhomes and campervans where they meet the legal definitions.
Traditional towed caravans do not qualify under Class BA.
Wales also has environmental and location restrictions.
Check for:
- Flood Zones 2 and 3
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- Special Areas of Conservation
- Ramsar sites
- Special Protection Areas
- Scheduled monuments
- Listed buildings
- Safety hazard areas
- Military explosives storage areas
- Article 4 Directions
Use the Welsh Government temporary campsite guidance.
Understand the 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule
The 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule needs careful attention.
Class BA cannot normally be used on land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling.
A protected dwelling is a dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone who is not the campsite owner or operator.
The restriction does not apply to an existing private way where you have a legal right to use it for access or egress.
Map the buffer before you design the site.
Do not measure by eye.
Mark nearby homes on a scaled plan.
Then draw the 100-metre area.
If the buffer removes most of the usable field, choose another area or seek full planning advice.
Prior approval does not remove the buffer.
A complete application cannot override it.
How the Welsh prior approval process works
Class BA uses an annual notification and determination process.
Submit the Welsh form before the camping use starts.
Include:
- Site location
- Operating dates
- Pitches
- Toilets
- Wastewater
- Waste storage
- Highway access
- Parking
- Site amenities
- Protected landscape information
- The 100-metre assessment
The council should decide within 28 days whether prior approval is required.
If it says prior approval is not required, follow the submitted plans.
If it requires prior approval, provide the requested details.
The council can consider:
- Highway safety
- Traffic changes
- Access
- Waste
- Wastewater
- Pollution risk
- Neighbour impacts
Do not open until written approval is granted where approval is required.
Use the Welsh prior approval form.
Choose and size the pitch area
Start small.
Do not use the full 50-pitch allowance in England unless your land, access and facilities support it.
Draw the field boundary first.
Then mark:
- Pitches
- Parking
- Turning space
- Reception
- Toilets
- Handwashing
- Waste storage
- Fire points
- Emergency access
- Livestock areas
- Public rights of way
Keep pitches away from working farm areas.
Separate guests from machinery, animals, slurry stores, ponds and steep ground.
Use natural screening.
Keep tents away from neighbouring boundaries where possible.
Wales requires the 100-metre check.
England has no equivalent Class BC buffer.
You should still manage privacy, noise, lighting and vehicle movements.
See our guide to Class BC camping and the 60-day route.
Plan access and parking
Your campsite entrance must work for guests, neighbours and emergency services.
Check visibility.
Check the road width.
Check turning space.
Keep vehicles off the public highway while guests wait to check in.
Provide parking for each pitch or set a clear parking plan.
Separate pedestrians from vehicles where possible.
Avoid creating queues at the pub, hotel or farm entrance.
Show the access route on your notification or prior approval plan.
Do not create a permanent track, road or hardstanding without checking whether separate planning permission is needed.
Provide facilities and manage hygiene
A legal planning route does not remove your operating duties.
Provide enough toilets for your guest numbers.
Provide handwashing facilities.
Plan wastewater storage and collection.
Keep food areas separate from waste areas.
Clean toilets on a fixed schedule.
Record inspections.
Use covered waste bins.
Separate recycling where possible.
Arrange commercial waste collection.
Do not discharge wastewater onto land, into a ditch or into a watercourse.
Keep waste away from streams, wells and neighbouring properties.
A clean facility protects guests, nearby residents and your business.
Check insurance and other duties
Permitted development rights deal with planning.
They do not cover every legal requirement.
Check whether you need:
- A campsite or caravan site licence
- Public liability insurance
- Employers’ liability insurance
- Fire safety controls
- Electrical safety checks
- Water testing
- Septic tank approval
- Food registration
- Risk assessments
- Activity-specific insurance
- Public rights of way controls
Ask your local authority licensing team.
Ask your insurer to confirm that camping, guests, vehicles and activities are covered.
If you run guided walks or wildlife activities, assess each activity separately.
Price and market the site
Build a simple forecast.
List:
- Number of pitches
- Available operating days
- Expected occupancy
- Pitch price
- Cleaning costs
- Toilet hire
- Waste collection
- Insurance
- Staffing
- Repairs
- Booking fees
- Marketing
- Tax
Use cautious occupancy figures.
Start with weekend bookings.
Add school holidays later.
Offer clear choices:
- Tent pitch
- Campervan pitch
- Motorhome pitch
- Breakfast add-on
- Pub meal
- Guided walk
- Equipment hire
Market through your own website.
Use Google Business Profile.
Work with local attractions.
List the site on suitable camping platforms.
Show your access, facilities, rules and cancellation terms.
Do not promise facilities you do not provide.
Avoid mistakes that trigger enforcement
Do not exceed the 60-day limit.
Do not combine the old 28-day rule with the new allowance.
Count every day the land is used for camping.
Do not count only occupied nights.
Keep a calendar.
Do not exceed 50 pitches under Class BC.
Do not place a Welsh Class BA campsite inside the 100-metre buffer.
Do not open before required prior approval.
Do not change access, pitch numbers, toilets or waste arrangements without checking the effect.
Do not install permanent lodges, pods, tracks or buildings under a temporary campsite right.
Do not rely on verbal advice.
Keep:
- Applications
- Plans
- Decisions
- Dates
- Waste records
- Cleaning records
- Incident records
- Insurance documents
- Site licence documents
Read the Open Sky Adventure legal information and get advice for your site.
Your 2026 decision checklist
Before you invest, confirm:
- Is the land in England or Wales?
- Does Class BC or Class BA apply?
- Is the land in a protected landscape?
- Is the site in a flood zone?
- Are permitted development rights restricted?
- Is the Welsh site within 100 metres of a protected dwelling?
- Do tents, motorhomes or campervans fit the route?
- Can vehicles enter and leave safely?
- Can you provide toilets and wastewater storage?
- Can you manage waste every day?
- Do you need a site licence?
- Does your insurance cover the activity?
- Can you keep accurate operating-day records?
- Do you need separate permission for buildings or hardstanding?
- Can the site support the projected income?
Then choose your route.
You can read our guide to farm diversification camping.
You can also compare the 28-day rule and 60-day rule in 2026.
Join the Open Sky Adventure licence agreement group
Your field may support a campsite.
Start with a site review.
Prepare your location, land details and proposed use.
Then contact Open Sky Adventure.
We help pubs, hotels, farmers and rural landowners assess camping opportunities, compliance steps and outdoor activities.
Unlock your land and its potential.
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.
This article is general information for England and Wales. Planning, licensing, environmental and insurance requirements can depend on your site. Check with your local planning authority, licensing team and professional advisers before taking bookings.