Hello, rural landowners and hospitality owners. The landscape for temporary campsites in Wales is changing. New laws arrive in 2026. These rules affect your land use. They impact your income. You must prepare now. We are here to guide you.
Class BA: The New 60-Day Reality
Wales is introducing Class BA. This is a new permitted development right for temporary recreational campsites. It is the big shift for 2026. It gives many landowners more room to trade. It also adds more conditions. You need to know them.
Use Class BA to host campers for up to 60 days in a calendar year on eligible land. This applies to temporary recreational camping use. Think tents, campervans, and motorhomes. But the full 60 days does not apply everywhere.
Check your land type first. The split matters.
- General land in Wales: up to 60 days per calendar year.
- National Parks: up to 28 days per calendar year.
- Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: up to 28 days per calendar year.
- World Heritage Sites: up to 28 days per calendar year.
This is the first hard filter. If your land sits in a designated landscape, your trading window is shorter. Do not plan a 60-day season unless your site is outside those designations. Check official mapping. Do not rely on local hearsay.
Now get clear on the legal structure. Class BA is built around four parts. You need to understand all four.
- BA.1 sets out the development allowed. This is the core right to use land as a temporary recreational campsite for the permitted number of days.
- BA.2 sets out the limitations and exclusions. This is where many sites fail. If your land is in the wrong location, too close to a protected dwelling, or affected by excluded land designations, the right may not apply.
- BA.3 sets out the conditions before use starts. This is the prior approval gateway. You must give the right information to the local planning authority.
- BA.4 sets out the prior approval matters and determination process. This is the council review stage. The authority checks the submitted details and decides whether prior approval is granted, refused, or granted subject to conditions.
That matters because Class BA is not a free-for-all. It is a conditional right. You do not just open a field and take bookings. You first check eligibility. Then you prepare evidence. Then you go through prior approval. Then you operate within the approved limits.
Know your limits. Plan your season around the exact number of days your land can lawfully use. Use those days for camping adventure uk experiences. Maximize revenue, stay inside the rules, keep your business clean.
The 100m Buffer: Your Biggest Hurdle
The 100m buffer is one of the biggest practical limits in the Welsh regime. For many farmers, pubs, inns, and small hospitality sites, this is the issue that decides whether Class BA works at all.
The key phrase is protected dwelling. In plain terms, this means a dwellinghouse that is not occupied by the person carrying out the campsite use. In practice, think of a nearby home lived in by someone else. Usually a neighbour. Usually not under your control.
That matters because the buffer is not about your farmhouse if you occupy it. It is about other people's homes. If your proposed camping area sits within 100 metres of a protected dwelling, Class BA may not be available for that part of the land.
Be careful here. Do not treat this as a rough estimate. This is not "about a field away." This is a measurable planning constraint. If your layout, pitch area, or operational camping land falls inside the restricted distance, you may lose the permitted development route and need full planning permission instead.
This rule is a challenge for pubs. Most pubs sit near terraces, cottages, or village housing. It affects small hotels and glamping fields near settlements. It also catches farm diversification sites where the best flat meadow happens to sit close to the lane and close to neighbouring homes.
The practical point is simple. You must identify the protected dwellings first. Then map the distance properly. Then place the camping area in compliant space.
How to Map Your 100m Buffer
Do this before you spend money on signs, toilets, or booking software.
- Mark the full planning unit. Start with the exact land you control.
- Identify every nearby dwellinghouse. Include cottages, converted barns, staff houses not occupied by you, and neighbouring homes.
- Separate your own occupied dwelling from protected dwellings. Your own residence is not the same issue. Nearby third-party homes are.
- Use proper mapping tools. Start with an OS base map, Land Registry plan, aerial image, or GIS layer if you have one.
- Draw a 100m radius from each protected dwelling. Be methodical. Do not guess from a gate or hedge.
- Overlay your proposed campsite area. Pitches, vehicle standing, and operational camping land should sit outside the affected zone.
- Keep evidence. Save screenshots. Save scale plans. Save dated measurements.
- Check access and overflow too. A compliant pitch field can still create trouble if vehicle queuing, toilet blocks, or campfire areas sit too close.
For farmers, the best answer is often the back field, not the easiest field. For pub owners, the best answer is often a paddock behind the main trading area, not the grass by the beer garden. For hotels, look at edge land and screened areas, not the front lawn.
If the 100m buffer wipes out your usable land, stop and reassess early. Do not press on and hope the council misses it. They will look for it. So will objectors.
Check your maps now. Identify every protected dwelling. Draw the circles. Find the white space. That is where your lawful campsite plan starts.
Prior Approval: The BA.3 and BA.4 Process
Class BA is not automatic. You need prior approval. This sits in the BA.3 and BA.4 framework. That means you must notify the local planning authority and provide the information they need to assess the proposal before you start operating.
This is the point many landowners get wrong. Permitted development does not mean no process. It means no full planning application, if you fit the class, if you meet the limits, and if prior approval is secured where required.
Under the Welsh approach, the council is not just rubber-stamping a campsite. It is checking whether the proposal is acceptable under the Class BA conditions and whether the site details support safe and lawful use.
Expect the authority to look at practical planning issues such as:
- site location
- access and highway safety
- flood risk
- layout and siting
- waste and sanitation
- likely impact on neighbours
- environmental constraints
- whether the land falls within excluded areas
- whether the 100m rule affects the site
- whether any habitats assessment issue is triggered
A new notification is expected for each calendar year in which the land is proposed to be used as a temporary recreational campsite. That means this is not a one-and-done forever right. You need to plan ahead each season.
Provide clear information. Use scaled maps. Show your access points. Show your water and waste arrangements. Show your buffer calculations. Show where guests park. Show how vehicles turn. Show where toilets sit. Show how you manage noise, fires, and site supervision.
The better your evidence, the stronger your position.
Step-by-Step: The Prior Approval Route for Your Welsh Campsite
Use this checklist.
- Confirm the land is eligible. Check whether you are on general land, or inside a National Park, AONB, or World Heritage Site. Confirm whether the 60-day or 28-day cap applies.
- Screen out excluded land. Check for designations and constraints that may take you outside Class BA entirely.
- Identify every protected dwelling. Do the 100m buffer work before anything else.
- Draft your campsite layout. Mark pitches, vehicle areas, access, toilets, bins, water points, fire points, and arrival route.
- Prepare a planning pack. Include a location plan, site plan, access statement, operating note, sanitation details, and buffer evidence.
- Submit the prior approval notification to the local planning authority. Use the proper Welsh form and give complete information.
- Wait for the authority's determination. The council reviews the proposal against the Class BA conditions and prior approval matters.
- Respond fast if the authority asks for more detail. Delay often happens because the pack is thin, unclear, or missing scaled drawings.
- Do not start trading before a lawful route is confirmed. Prior approval only works if the process is followed properly.
- Keep records for the operating year. Track actual days used, guest numbers, complaints, and site management actions.
If you want the authoritative version in plain English, think of BA.3 as the submission duty and BA.4 as the council's decision stage.
The exact prior approval determination process is the core of the route. In practice, it works like this: you submit the required information, the local planning authority checks whether prior approval is required and, where it is, considers the defined planning impacts, then issues a determination. That determination may grant prior approval, grant it with conditions, or refuse it. If the site falls outside the class limits in BA.2, the route fails and full planning permission becomes the next step.
Do not wait until spring. Start in winter. Give yourself time. Prior approval is now part of the business model. Treat it like a compliance task, not an afterthought. That is how you protect your adventure tourism uk future.
National Parks vs. General Land
Location dictates your rights. This is the part many operators oversimplify. Wales is not a flat 60-day system. It is a split system.
On most eligible land, Class BA allows 60 days of temporary recreational campsite use in a calendar year. But in protected landscape categories, the cap drops to 28 days. That includes:
- National Parks
- Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
- World Heritage Sites
This is the 60-day vs 28-day split you must build your business around.
If you are on general rural land outside those designations, you have a longer trading season. That gives you more room for school holidays, bank holidays, and shoulder-season stays.
If you are in a National Park or other designated area, the shorter 28-day cap changes everything. You need tighter scheduling. You need sharper pricing. You need a smaller, more focused operating model.
Do not assume your postal address tells you the answer. Check the official designation maps. Some holdings cross different land categories. One field may be outside a designation. Another may be inside. Your legal route depends on the exact land in use.
Operating 60 days in a 28-day zone is not a harmless mistake. It is a planning risk. It can trigger complaints, enforcement, and long-term problems for future applications.
Check your designation status first. Then build the season around it. Protect your reputation. Protect your land. Offer family camping experiences uk within legal limits.
Pembrokeshire: The Article 4 Lockdown
Pembrokeshire faces a unique situation. The National Park Authority is taking action. They are using an Article 4 Direction. This starts on 1 January 2026. It removes permitted development rights for certain temporary camping uses in the Park area.
Inside the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the usual temporary 28-day camping route is no longer something you can assume is there. Planning permission will be required for those affected camping, caravan, and mobile home uses covered by the Direction. This is a major local change. It is not just business as usual with a different form.
If your land is in Pembrokeshire, boundary checking is essential. Land outside the National Park is not in the same position as land inside it. Land outside may still be able to rely on the wider Welsh Class BA route if all conditions are met. Land inside the affected National Park area faces a much harder path and may need a full planning application.
This is a significant hurdle for farmers. It is a blow for simple seasonal sites. It is a big issue for pub stopovers and pop-up fields that relied on short seasonal operation.
Pembrokeshire Article 4 Direction: What You Need to Know
Keep this simple.
- It is local. This is not a Wales-wide removal of camping rights. It is a local planning restriction in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park context.
- It starts on 1 January 2026. That date matters for 2026 trading plans.
- It removes a permitted development fallback for affected 28-day camping uses. If you relied on the old temporary route, you need to reassess now.
- It means more full planning applications. More reports. More lead time. More scrutiny.
- It raises risk for late planners. If you wait until spring, you may miss the season.
- It does not mean every temporary event is banned. The Authority has indicated the focus is on camping, caravans, and mobile homes in the affected category, not every outdoor event of every kind.
The practical implication is blunt. If your land is inside the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, do not build your 2026 business plan on assumptions about automatic short-term camping rights. Get site-specific advice. Check whether Class BA helps you at all. If not, move straight to a full planning strategy.
Prepare now. Gather ecology information if needed. Justify the proposal. Show how access works. Show how waste is managed. Show why the site supports the local economy. We can help you navigate these outdoor activities near me regulations.
Strategies for Farmers, Pubs, and Hotels
Adapt your business model. Use these strategies to stay ahead.
- Relocate your site. Move tents to remote fields. Get away from neighbors. Clear the 100-meter mark.
- Improve infrastructure. Invest in better access roads. Provide high-quality waste facilities. Use these to support prior approval.
- Limit your scale. Focus on quality over quantity. Host fewer guests for longer periods. Reduce neighbour complaints.
- Partner with experts. Join a licensed organization. We handle the technical details. We provide the branding.
Pubs should focus on secluded gardens or rear paddocks. Hotels should use perimeter land. Farmers should rotate fields annually. This keeps the ground healthy. It keeps you within the law. Focus on adventure weekends uk to attract high-value guests.
Diversifying Under the New Rules: Practical Strategies for 2026
The new rules do not kill diversification. They force smarter diversification.
For farmers, split your thinking into three parts:
- the field that actually works legally
- the season length your designation allows
- the add-on income per guest
Use the most remote compliant field, not the handiest one. Pair camping with guided walks, woodland sessions, farm tours, firewood sales, breakfast packs, or low-impact events. If you only sell a pitch, your 28 or 60 days work less hard.
For pub owners, the main issue is usually the 100m buffer. Start with mapping, not marketing. If you have lawful space at the rear or edge of your holding, build a simple offer: one-night stopovers, pre-booked meal bundles, breakfast add-ons, and walking-route packages. Keep noise low. Keep arrival rules tight. Keep neighbour exposure low.
For small hotels and inns, treat camping as an overflow and experience product. Use edge land, not front-facing land. Offer premium short stays tied to local outdoor activities. Make guests book managed experiences, not just a patch of grass.
For estate owners and larger rural holdings, the opportunity is scale with control. Use zoned camping areas, managed vehicle routing, and pre-planned service points. Build a seasonal operations pack that can be reused each year for prior approval submissions.
For land near protected landscapes, accept the 28-day limit and price for scarcity. Do not chase volume. Sell limited dates well. Target bank holidays, school breaks, walking weekends, and special interest stays.
For land affected by Pembrokeshire constraints or other local pressure points, prepare two routes:
- a Class BA route if available
- a full planning route if the fallback disappears
That is the practical strategy for 2026. Do not rely on one legal route. Build a primary route and a backup route.
England vs. Wales: A Comparative Glance
Know the differences. England uses Class BC. Wales uses Class BA. Both systems give temporary campsite opportunities. But they are not the same route, and you should not treat them as interchangeable.
At headline level, both countries offer a 60-day temporary campsite opportunity in many cases. But Wales adds extra friction. The biggest difference is the 100m buffer from protected dwellings. That is a major Welsh constraint and a practical reason why some pub and village-edge sites work in England but fail in Wales.
Class BA (Wales) vs Class BC (England)
Here is the direct comparison.
Class BA in Wales
- built around a Welsh permitted development route for temporary recreational campsites
- up to 60 days on general eligible land
- only 28 days in National Parks, AONBs, and World Heritage Sites
- includes a 100m buffer issue around protected dwellings
- uses a prior approval route with a Welsh authority review process
- can be narrowed further by local controls, including Article 4 directions
Class BC in England
- provides England's temporary recreational campsite route
- commonly used for up to 60 days in a calendar year
- does not carry the same Welsh-style 100m protected dwelling restriction
- is therefore often easier for village pubs, pub gardens, and smaller hospitality plots
- still carries conditions, exclusions, and prior approval requirements that must be checked against the English GPDO wording and local constraints
The practical difference is huge.
A pub in England may have a realistic Class BC route even where houses sit close by. The same layout in Wales may be stopped by the 100m rule. A border business cannot copy one operating model across both sides and assume compliance.
Wales also applies the 28-day cap in designated landscapes where the full 60-day right does not run. That creates a more layered system. England is simpler in this area for many operators.
Always follow the rules for your exact nation and local authority area. If you own land on the border, be extra careful. Check the planning unit. Check the designation maps. Check the local planning authority. Then build the site model around the legal reality.
Diversifying Your Land for 2026
Don't rely on one income stream. Diversify your outdoor offerings. Use your land for guided walks. Create educational nature trails. Offer survival skills workshops.
Camping is just one part of the puzzle. Combine it with activities. This makes your site more attractive. It increases your revenue per guest. It can also strengthen your overall site proposition. You are not just a campsite. You are an adventure destination.
Focus on sustainable tourism. Protect your soil. Manage your water. Respect the wildlife. This keeps your land profitable for the long term. Build a model that works legally and commercially.
Join Open Sky Adventure
Navigating Class BA is hard. The BA.1 to BA.4 conditions matter. The 100m buffer matters. The prior approval process matters. The 60-day vs 28-day split matters. Pembrokeshire matters. You do not have to figure this out alone.
Open Sky Adventure is here to help landowners, farmers, pubs, inns, and rural hospitality businesses build camping offers that are exciting, compliant, and commercially smart. We understand the Welsh legislation. We understand the operational reality. We understand what planners look for. We understand what guests want.
If you are serious about launching or protecting a campsite in 2026, do this now:
- check your land designation
- map your 100m buffer
- review whether Class BA applies
- prepare your prior approval pack
- build a site layout that can survive scrutiny
- create an offer that earns enough within your legal day cap
Do not wait until the season is close. Do not guess. Do not rely on old 28-day assumptions. Act now.
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