Hello, landowner.
You want to use your land for camping.
You need to check the rules first.
The answer changes between England and Wales.
The phrase 100m buffer zone campsite Wales refers to a specific Welsh planning restriction. It does not describe a national rule for every campsite in England and Wales.
Use this checklist before you accept bookings, install facilities or open your field.
Important: This guide explains the main 2026 planning rules. It is not legal advice. Check your local planning authority, site licence requirements and current legislation before you open.
1. Confirm which country your land is in
Start here.
England: Class BC
In England, Class BC allows temporary recreational campsite use for:
- Up to 60 days in total per calendar year
- Up to 50 pitches
- Tents, motorhomes and campervans
- Moveable structures needed for the campsite
- Moveable toilet and waste-disposal facilities
The old general 28-day rule no longer covers normal recreational camping in England. From 26 July 2024, Class B camping is limited to camping linked to a festival.
Read the official England explanatory memorandum and our Class BC campsite guide.
Wales: Class BA
In Wales, Class BA came into force on 1 June 2026.
It allows:
- Up to 60 days outside certain designated areas
- Up to 28 days in National Parks, National Landscapes and World Heritage Sites
- Tents, motorhomes and campervans
- Moveable campsite structures
- A controlled prior approval process
- A 100-metre exclusion zone from protected dwellings
The Welsh rules also restrict Class BA sites in sensitive locations, including SSSIs, SACs, SPAs, Ramsar sites, scheduled monuments and listed building sites.
Read Class BA in the official Welsh Order.
2. Map the 100-metre buffer in Wales
This is the key step for anyone searching for a 100m buffer zone campsite Wales.
Class BA does not permit campsite use on land within 100 metres of a protected dwelling.
The Order defines a protected dwelling as:
A dwellinghouse or flat occupied by someone other than the campsite owner or operator.
This can include a neighbour’s home.
It can include a nearby flat.
It does not simply mean a building owned by someone else.
Do this before designing your pitches
- Identify every nearby dwelling.
- Confirm whether you control or operate that dwelling.
- Mark each dwelling and its curtilage on a site plan.
- Measure 100 metres from the protected dwelling.
- Mark the restricted areas.
- Keep pitches, amenities and campsite use outside the buffer.
- Ask the LPA if the boundary is unclear.
Do not measure from a hedge because it is convenient.
Do not measure from your field gate.
Use a proper scaled plan.
Keep evidence of how you measured the distance.
If any part of the proposed campsite falls within the buffer, revise the layout or apply for full planning permission.
3. Check the 28-day rule
The 28-day rule is not one simple UK-wide rule in 2026.
England
For a normal temporary recreational campsite, use Class BC as your starting point.
Plan for:
- No more than 60 days per calendar year
- No more than 50 pitches
- Written notification to the LPA before opening
- Toilets and waste facilities on site
Class B may still cover festival camping, subject to its conditions.
Do not use the old 28-day rule as a shortcut for a normal commercial campsite.
Wales
Wales has a new transition.
Class BA began on 1 June 2026.
The amendment removing ordinary camping from Class B takes effect on 1 September 2026. By late 2026, the main position is:
- Up to 60 days in many rural areas
- Up to 28 days in National Parks, National Landscapes and World Heritage Sites
- No Class BA right in certain protected or restricted locations
- No Class BA use within 100 metres of a protected dwelling
Check the coming-into-force provisions before relying on transitional arrangements.
Do not assume that an old site can continue under the same terms.
4. Check permitted development restrictions
Permitted development rights are not automatic.
Check the land before you spend money.
In England, Class BC does not apply to land that is:
- A scheduled monument
- An SSSI
- Within the curtilage of a listed building
- In a safety hazard area
- In a military explosives storage area
Check for an Article 4 Direction.
An Article 4 Direction can remove permitted development rights in a local area.
The New Forest is a clear example. The New Forest National Park Authority guidance explains how its Article 4 Direction affects temporary campsites.
In Wales, also check:
- National Park status
- National Landscape status
- World Heritage Site status
- SAC status
- SPA status
- Ramsar status
- SSSI status
- Flood Zones 2 and 3
- Local Article 4 Directions
- Nearby protected dwellings
Use the Welsh legislation and your local planning authority’s mapping tools.
5. Understand prior approval
Prior approval is not the same as full planning permission.
It lets the LPA assess specific matters set by the permitted development right.
England: flood risk
Under Class BC, prior approval is needed when the land is in Flood Zone 2 or Flood Zone 3.
Prepare:
- A site-specific flood risk assessment
- A warning and evacuation plan
- A site plan
- Operating dates
- Details of pitches and facilities
Do not open until the required process is complete.
For other English sites, send the required written notification before development starts each calendar year.
Wales: sanitation, waste and access
Under Class BA, apply to the LPA each calendar year for a determination on:
- Toilet and wastewater facilities
- Waste-disposal facilities
- Vehicular access
Your application must include:
- A site plan
- Pitch locations
- Amenities
- Access from the highway
- Operating dates
- Toilet and wastewater details
- Waste arrangements
The LPA normally has 28 days to issue its determination.
If it says prior approval is not required, follow the submitted details.
If it says prior approval is required, submit the further application.
Do not start until you receive written approval.
The LPA can require further information about transport, highways and site impacts.
6. Build the right compliance file
Create one folder for the site.
Keep these records:
- Land ownership details
- Site boundary plan
- 100-metre buffer plan, if in Wales
- Flood-zone check
- Designation checks
- Article 4 search
- Pitch numbers
- Operating dates
- LPA correspondence
- Prior approval decisions
- Toilet servicing records
- Waste-transfer records
- Fire and emergency plan
- Site licence documents
- Insurance documents
- Guest rules and safety information
Update it every year.
Record every operating day.
Count days when facilities are on the land if your local authority requires this approach.
Do not rely on memory.
7. Check campsite licensing separately
Planning permission and licensing are different systems.
Permitted development rights do not automatically remove the need for a campsite licence.
Contact your local authority’s licensing and environmental health teams.
Ask about:
- Caravan site licensing
- Exemptions
- Sanitation
- Wastewater
- Drinking water
- Food businesses
- Fire safety
- Emergency access
- Public liability insurance
- Environmental health inspections
A site can have planning compliance and still fail a licensing requirement.
Treat both checks as essential.
8. Plan for farmers, pubs and hotels
Temporary camping can support farm diversification.
It can also support rural hospitality.
Farmers
Use a field that is not needed during the operating period.
Keep vehicle routes clear.
Protect drainage and grazing areas.
Plan removal dates before opening.
Pubs
Check whether guests can reach the pub safely.
Separate campsite traffic from customer parking.
Control noise and closing times.
Review waste and water capacity.
Hotels and rural estates
Check existing planning conditions.
Review access and fire routes.
Keep temporary infrastructure removable.
Confirm that the proposed use does not conflict with an existing permission.
Do not treat unused land as automatically available for camping.
9. Decide which route fits your site
You have three main options.
Option one: permitted development
Use Class BC in England or Class BA in Wales if the site meets every condition.
Option two: full planning permission
Use this route when:
- The site exceeds the day limit
- You need more pitches
- The land falls within an exclusion
- An Article 4 Direction removes the right
- The 100-metre Welsh buffer affects your layout
- You need permanent infrastructure
Option three: licensed or exempted camping
Some sites operate through exemption certificates or recognised organisations.
This is a separate legal route.
Review the Open Sky Adventure legal information and land licensing options before choosing.
Final 2026 campsite compliance checklist
Before opening, confirm that you have:
- Identified England or Wales
- Selected Class BC, Class BA, planning permission or another lawful route
- Checked the 28-day and 60-day rules
- Counted the total operating days
- Counted the pitches
- Mapped the Welsh 100-metre buffer
- Checked protected dwellings
- Checked flood zones
- Checked environmental designations
- Checked Article 4 Directions
- Prepared a scaled site plan
- Arranged toilets and wastewater facilities
- Arranged waste disposal
- Planned safe vehicle access
- Completed notification or prior approval
- Checked campsite licensing
- Recorded every decision and operating date
Use the process before you advertise.
Use the process before you install facilities.
Use the process before you accept deposits.
Open Sky Adventure helps farmers, pubs, hotels and rural landowners build compliant licensed camping opportunities, with practical site checks, legal guidance and outdoor experience planning.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.
Contact Open Sky Adventure and start your site review.