Meta description: Learn how the 100m buffer zone affects Class BA camping in Wales, how to measure it, and how farmers, pubs, hotels, and landowners can design a compliant campsite in 2026.
Hello, landowner.
Your field may support a temporary campsite.
Wales has new rules.
From 1 September 2026, temporary tent campsites in Wales use Class BA permitted development rights.
The key change is the 100m buffer zone.
Use this guide to check your land, mark the boundary, plan your pitches, and choose your next step.
This guide explains the planning rules in practical terms. Check your site with the local planning authority before opening.
What is Class BA camping Wales 2026?
Class BA is a new permitted development right under Part 4 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (Wales) Order 2026.
It allows temporary recreational campsites for tents.
Outside a National Park, National Landscape, or World Heritage Site, you can use land for up to:
- 60 days in one calendar year
- Temporary pitches
- Moveable structures reasonably needed for camping
- Temporary toilet and wastewater facilities
- Temporary waste facilities
Inside a National Park, National Landscape, or World Heritage Site, the limit stays at:
- 28 days in one calendar year
The 100m rule applies in both cases.
Class BA does not cover every campsite.
It does not cover permanent buildings, permanent tracks, new hardstanding, or permanent glamping units.
Check the full Welsh Government guidance for temporary campsites before you invest.
What is the 100m buffer zone campsite Wales rule?
Class BA does not permit camping on land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling.
The legislation defines a protected dwelling as:
A dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
In plain English, the rule protects nearby homes occupied by other people.
If any part of your proposed campsite land sits within 100 metres of that dwelling, Class BA does not apply to that land.
You may need full planning permission.
What is the buffer measured from?
The legal test is measured from the protected dwelling to the proposed campsite land.
Use the shortest horizontal distance.
Measure from the dwellinghouse or flat to the nearest point of the land you want to use for camping.
Do not measure from:
- The centre of a tent pitch
- The middle of the field
- The public road
- Your property boundary
- A hedge unless it marks the actual land boundary
- A site entrance only
If your proposed campsite includes a field, the field edge may fall inside the 100m zone even when most pitches sit farther away.
This matters.
A single pitch inside the zone can affect your Class BA proposal.
Does the buffer include a neighbour’s curtilage?
The legislation refers to land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling.
It does not create a separate 100m measurement from every curtilage boundary.
However, the curtilage still matters.
If the nearest part of your camping land is 80 metres from the dwelling, it falls within the buffer.
If the house sits 80 metres from the neighbour’s boundary, that does not automatically make every part of the curtilage a separate protected object.
Use the dwelling as the legal reference point.
Show the dwelling, the proposed campsite boundary, and the measured distance on your plan.
Ask the local planning authority to confirm its interpretation for your site.
Do other buildings trigger the 100m rule?
Not every building triggers the 100m dwelling buffer.
The definition focuses on a dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
A barn, stable, workshop, shed, or agricultural building is not automatically a protected dwelling.
Other restrictions still apply.
Class BA does not apply on or near certain protected land and buildings, including:
- Scheduled monuments
- Special Areas of Conservation
- Sites of Special Scientific Interest
- Ramsar sites
- Special Protection Areas
- Listed building sites
- Flood Zones 2 and 3
- Safety hazard areas
- Military explosives storage areas
Check each restriction separately.
Do not treat the 100m buffer as the only test.
How to measure the 100m buffer on your land
Use a clear site-check process.
1. Mark the proposed campsite boundary
Decide which land you want to use.
Include:
- Tent pitches
- Arrival areas
- Parking
- Temporary toilets
- Waste facilities
- Internal routes
- Shared camping areas
Do not measure only the tent positions.
Class BA applies to the land used for the campsite.
2. Identify nearby dwellings
Walk the full boundary.
Look for:
- Houses
- Farmhouses
- Cottages
- Flats
- Neighbouring residential buildings
Check who occupies each dwelling.
A dwelling occupied by you or the campsite operator is not a protected dwelling under the Class BA definition.
A neighbour’s home normally is.
Keep evidence of your checks.
3. Measure to the nearest point
Use a calibrated measuring wheel, laser distance meter, or accurate mapping system.
Measure from the dwelling to the closest part of your proposed campsite land.
Take several measurements where the boundary is irregular.
Record:
- The dwelling location
- The campsite boundary
- The shortest distance
- The measurement method
- The date
- The person who completed the check
Do not rely on visual estimates.
A field can look far enough away and still fail the test.
4. Add the measurements to your site plan
Use a scaled plan.
Show:
- The 100m line
- Protected dwellings
- Proposed pitches
- Access
- Parking
- Toilets
- Waste facilities
- Water points
- Emergency routes
Mark the restricted land clearly.
Keep the plan with your planning records.
What happens if a pitch falls inside the buffer?
You have four practical options.
Option one: relocate the pitch
Move the pitch outside the 100m area.
Review the full site plan.
A compliant layout may still work if you have enough land beyond the buffer.
Do not leave the pitch, parking, or camping area inside the restricted zone.
Option two: split the site
Use separate camping areas.
Place one cluster outside the buffer.
Leave the restricted section unused for camping.
Show the separate areas on your plan.
Keep access, toilets, waste points, and emergency routes workable.
A split site must still operate as one safe campsite.
Do not use the buffer land as informal overflow space.
Option three: use another field
Your first field may not work.
Check another parcel.
Look for land with:
- More distance from homes
- Safe highway access
- Low flood risk
- Firm ground
- Space for temporary facilities
- Separation from livestock
- Suitable wastewater arrangements
Farm diversification camping needs a full site review.
An empty field is not automatically a suitable campsite.
Option four: apply for full planning permission
If the campsite cannot avoid the buffer, Class BA may not be available.
You can consider a planning application.
This route may support a layout closer to homes.
It may also support longer operation, permanent facilities, or a wider glamping proposal.
Speak to your local planning authority before spending money on infrastructure.
How to design a compliant Class BA campsite
Start with the legal boundary.
Then build the customer layout around it.
Place pitches outside the 100m zone.
Keep the layout simple.
Show these items on your plan:
- Site boundary
- Pitch locations
- Arrival point
- Vehicle access
- Parking
- Pedestrian routes
- Toilets
- Wastewater facilities
- Waste storage
- Emergency access
- Out-of-bounds areas
- Nearby dwellings
- Buffer measurements
- Operating dates
Use field edges where possible.
Use existing hedges and trees for screening.
Avoid unnecessary movement across the field.
Keep campers away from livestock, machinery, watercourses, and farm operations.
Plan servicing before opening.
Toilet and wastewater arrangements matter.
Waste disposal matters.
Vehicular access matters.
The local planning authority can require prior approval for these issues.
Class BA prior notification and prior approval
You must notify the local planning authority before starting each calendar year.
Submit:
- A site plan
- Pitch and amenity locations
- Toilet and wastewater details
- Waste disposal details
- Highway access details
- Proposed operating dates
The authority has 28 days to decide whether prior approval is required.
Do not start before:
- The authority confirms prior approval is not required
- The 28-day response period expires without the required notice
- The authority grants prior approval, where required
If the authority requires prior approval, it may review:
- Toilet arrangements
- Wastewater arrangements
- Waste storage
- Vehicle access
- Highway impacts
- Traffic changes
Use the Welsh Government temporary campsite process when preparing your submission.
Keep the final approved plan.
Operate the site as submitted.
If you increase pitch numbers, change access, or alter waste arrangements, check whether you need a new notification.
What happened to the old 28-day rule?
Before September 2026, Class B supported temporary use for up to 28 days in a calendar year.
Camping now moves from Class B into Class BA.
The temporary campsite 60 days rule applies outside protected landscapes.
The 28-day limit remains in National Parks, National Landscapes, and World Heritage Sites.
In 2026, count days already used under the old rules.
Those days reduce the remaining Class BA allowance.
For example, if you used 10 camping days before 1 September, you may have 50 days left under a 60-day Class BA allowance.
Keep one day-count record.
The limit applies to the land.
Moving campers between fields does not create extra days.
A campsite licence may also be needed if you operate for more than 42 consecutive days or more than 60 days in any 12-month period. Check the GOV.UK camping licence guidance.
Planning permission and licensing are separate matters.
Class BA in Wales compared with Class BC in England
England uses Class BC for temporary recreational campsites.
Class BC generally allows:
- Up to 60 days per calendar year
- Up to 50 pitches
- Temporary campsite facilities
- Tents and permitted motorhomes or campervans
England does not have the same specific 100m protected dwelling buffer under Class BC.
Do not apply Class BC to Welsh land.
Wales uses Class BA.
Wales adds:
- The 100m protected dwelling restriction
- A 28-day limit in designated landscapes
- Prior notification
- Potential prior approval
- Wider environmental exclusions
Read Open Sky Adventure’s guide to Class BC camping in England if you operate on both sides of the border.
Use Open Sky Adventure as your next step
Open Sky Adventure helps farmers, pub owners, hotel owners, and rural landowners assess land for licensed camping.
We focus on:
- Site layout
- Camping legislation UK 2026
- Buffer zone checks
- Farm diversification camping
- Guest safety
- Waste and wastewater planning
- Operating calendars
- Licensed camping options
Start with Unlock Your Land and Potential.
Then contact Open Sky Adventure with your site address, map pin, proposed pitch area, and nearby dwelling information.
Join the group, sign up on openskyadventure.co.uk, and plan your campsite before you advertise dates.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.