Hello. Open your land to campers today. You can start a campsite in England using Class BC permitted development rights. This guide shows you how. Use these rules to earn money from your fields, pubs, or hotels.
Use the 60-Day Rule
You can run a campsite for 60 days every year. The 60 days include the time you spend setting up. They also include the time you spend taking everything down. Use the days all at once, or split them into blocks. Track your days carefully, stop when you hit 60, wait for the next calendar year.
Limit Your Pitch Count
You can host up to 50 pitches at one time. A pitch is a spot for a tent or a motorhome. Do not exceed 50 pitches. Keep your site small, maintain order, follow the law. If you want more than 50 pitches, apply for full planning permission. Check our legal guide for more details.
Choose Your Units
Stick to tents and motorhomes. You can use campervans too. Do not allow towable caravans. Do not allow static caravans. Class BC does not cover them. Stick to moveable units, ensure they are for recreation, keep the land tidy.
Provide Toilets and Waste Disposal
You must provide toilets on your land. You must provide waste disposal too. This is not optional. Buy or rent portable toilets, place them on the site, empty them regularly. Set up a waste collection point, hire a skip, keep the area clean. Check your setup, ensure it works, keep your visitors happy.
Notify Your Local Planning Authority
Write to your council every year. Do this before you open. Send them a letter, include your site plan, list your opening dates. Show where the toilets are on your map. Show where the waste bins sit. Tell them how many pitches you will have. Most councils want this eight weeks in advance. Check your local council website, find the planning office, send your notice early.
Understand Prior Approval for Flood Zones
Check your flood zone status. Use the Environment Agency map. If your land is in Flood Zone 2 or 3, you need prior approval. This is a formal process. Submit a flood risk assessment, wait for the council to decide, do not open until you have the green light. The council has 56 days to respond. Plan your season, submit your papers, wait for the window to close. This is vital for farm diversification camping.
Know Where You Cannot Camp
Some land is off-limits. Do not use Class BC on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Do not use it on a Scheduled Monument. Stay away from the curtilage of listed buildings. Avoid military areas, stay clear of safety hazard zones. If your land is restricted, talk to a planning officer.
Check for Article 4 Directions
Some councils remove your rights. They use an Article 4 Direction. This stops you from using Class BC without permission. Phone your planning department, ask about Article 4, confirm your rights are active. Do not assume you have them, verify first, save yourself from fines.
Manage Your Site License
Planning rules and licensing rules are different. You need a site license if you open for more than 42 days in a row. You need one if you open for more than 60 days in a 12-month period. Contact your local authority, ask about the Public Health Act 1936, apply for a license if you need one. Stick to the rules, keep your license current, avoid legal trouble.
Tell the Fire Authority
Safety is your job. Contact your local fire authority, tell them about your campsite, ask for advice. Create a fire safety plan, buy fire extinguishers, mark your exits. Keep grass short, space your pitches out, prevent fires from spreading.
Plan Your Strategy
Pick your 60 days wisely. Choose bank holidays, pick the summer months, maximize your income. Invest in quality gear, buy durable signs, use professional equipment. Keep records of every guest, note every day you are open, stay organized.
Invest in Portable Structures
You can use moveable structures. This includes reception pods or shower blocks. They must be moveable. Do not build permanent sheds, do not pour concrete, stay temporary. Move the structures when the 60 days end, restore the land, prepare for next year.
Market Your Site
Tell people you are open. Use social media, list your site on booking platforms, join local groups. Take good photos, show your views, mention your facilities. Be clear about your 60-day limit, manage expectations, build a good reputation.
Keep Your Neighbors Happy
Talk to your neighbors. Tell them your plans, listen to their concerns, reduce noise. Keep the site quiet at night, manage traffic, be a good member of the community. Happy neighbors mean fewer complaints to the council.
Prepare for Inspections
The council might visit. Keep your site plan handy, show your toilet facilities, prove your waste disposal works. Be polite, answer questions, show you follow the 60-day rule.
Summary of Class BC Steps
- Verify your land eligibility.
- Check your flood zone.
- Map out your 50 pitches.
- Organize your toilets and waste.
- Notify the council in writing.
- Notify the fire authority.
- Open for 60 days maximum.
- Pack everything away.
We will happily help you, signup live now if you have an interest in joining our license agreement.
Join our group, sign up on our website. We help landowners like you. Get started now.