Rule change opens door to more temporary campsites in England

Farmers in England can run temporary campsites for up to 60 days a year without planning permission after the government more than doubled the permitted development right (PDR) for this business activity from 28 days.

In what has been described as a “gigantic shot in the arm” for rural communities, the government was persuaded to change the planning law on 5 July after extensive industry lobbying.

See also: So you want to… open a campsite?

Many farmers started operating pop-up campsites when the government first extended the PDR in England and Wales in 2020 to 56 days a year, to help rural communities recover from the Covid pandemic.

Dan Yates, of Pitchup.com, who has been campaigning for a permanent extension since the PDR reverted to 28 days at the end of 2021, calculates that this extension was worth an extra £25m/year to campsite operators, local pubs, shops, restaurants and other rural businesses.

The permanent extension to 60 days, he believes, will result in “genuine, long-term prosperity for farms and rural communities”.

“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” he said. “Farmers are facing huge uncertainties about how their industry will be financed in the future and what they’ll have to do to make farming businesses sustainable.”

Provisos

The new rule comes with some provisos:

• No more than 50 pitches
• Toilet and waste disposal facilities must be provided
• The local authority must be notified before the season starts
• A camping licence is required for sites that accept tents for more than 42 consecutive days
• A caravan site licence is likely to be required to accept motorhomes or campervans
• Sites must not be in the curtilage of a listed building, on a site of special scientific interest or scheduled monument, in a safety hazard area, or in an area where military explosives are stored.

The new PDR applies to England only. In Wales, the 28-day rule remains in place.