How to run a legal and compliant campsite or glamping site in Wales

Camping in Wales has its own permitted development right. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (Wales) Order 2026 introduced Class BA for recreational campsites from 1 June 2026, and from 1 September 2026 camping was removed from the general 28-day temporary use right (Class B), except in connection with a festival. Permitted development is not an automatic entitlement: whether it is available on a particular field depends on that land, its location and designations, and any restrictions affecting it.

• Up to 60 days of recreational campsite use in total in a calendar year in most locations.
• 28 days where the land is within a National Park, an AONB or a World Heritage Site.
• Before beginning in each calendar year you must apply to your local planning authority for a determination as to whether prior approval is required for toilet and wastewater facilities, waste disposal, and vehicular access — with a site plan showing pitches, amenities, access and the dates of use.
• You cannot start until the authority confirms prior approval is not required, grants it, or the 28-day determination period passes without a response.
• Class BA does not permit development on a scheduled monument, special area of conservation, SSSI, Ramsar site, special protection area, the site of a listed building, a safety hazard area, a military explosives storage area, land in Flood Zone 2 or 3, or land within 100 metres of a dwelling occupied by anyone other than the site owner or operator.
• It covers moveable structures reasonably necessary for the use. Caravans are excluded, other than motor vehicles adapted for human habitation.
• Any structure left in place year-round — pods, cabins, shepherd's huts, permanent shower blocks, hardstanding — normally needs full planning permission.
• An Article 4 direction can remove permitted development rights locally; covenants and tenancy terms can restrict use separately from planning.
• Count your days carefully and keep a booking record — exceeding the allowance is an enforcement risk.

Read the rules in full in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (Wales) Order 2026, and see general Welsh planning guidance on gov.wales. Planning to open beyond your permitted days, or to install permanent glamping units? Speak to your local planning authority about a change-of-use application before you invest.

Under the Visitor Accommodation (Register and Levy) Etc. (Wales) Act 2025, the Welsh Revenue Authority keeps a statutory register of visitor accommodation providers. Registration opens in October 2026 and providers must register by 31 March 2027.

• You must register if you take bookings of 31 nights or less for overnight stays in Wales and you are responsible for the accommodation — for one night, seasonally or year-round.
• Pitches for tents, touring caravans, motorhomes and campervans are in scope, as are glamping units such as pods, yurts and shepherd's huts, self-catering lets, B&Bs, hostels and static caravans.
• Registration is free and is done through the Welsh Revenue Authority using GOV.UK One Login; you will need premises details, when you are open, bookable units and maximum occupancy.
• Registration also underpins the Visitor Levy, which applies only in council areas that choose to introduce it.
• Licensing is separate and still to come: the Development of Tourism and Regulation of Visitor Accommodation (Wales) Act 2026 creates the legal framework, and the Welsh Government has said the scheme will start with self-catering accommodation. No start date has been set for other accommodation types.
• An agent or management company can register on your behalf, but the provider remains responsible.

Official guidance: registering visitor accommodation (GOV.WALES) and licensing of visitor accommodation in Wales.

Inviting paying guests onto your land changes your risk profile. Farm or domestic policies rarely cover commercial camping, so tell your insurer exactly what you are doing.

• Hold active public liability cover — £2m–£5m is the common range for small campsites and glamping sites.
• Check that camping, glamping, fire pits, hot tubs, livestock and farm machinery are all named on the policy.
• Add employers' liability if you use staff, and consider contents or business interruption cover for pods and cabins.
• Carry out and record a written risk assessment covering water, terrain, trees, tracks and vehicle movements.
• Keep gas, electrical and fire-safety certificates for any fixed units — insurers and the register will ask for them.

Most complaints about small sites come down to waste and water. Get these right and the rest of compliance is much easier.

Sites near protected habitats may also need to consider nutrient and phosphate rules — check with Natural Resources Wales if you are close to a designated river.

Small sites survive on local goodwill. Share the Countryside Code with every guest and set expectations in your house rules before they arrive.

• Ask guests to take all litter home and leave no trace of their pitch.
• Keep dogs under control around livestock and clean up after them.
• Set quiet hours and a no-amplified-music rule to protect neighbours and wildlife.
• Give clear arrival directions to avoid guests blocking lanes, gateways and passing places.
• Leave gates as you find them and keep public rights of way clear of pitches and parking.
• Tell nearby residents and the local community council what you are planning before you open.