How to Set Up a Camp Business in the UK: Planning, Licences

You have land. You see the appeal of turning it into a campsite business. The UK camping market is growing, with more people seeking outdoor escapes, and you want a piece of it. But between planning permission, site licensing, health and safety regulations, and neighbour consultations, the path from empty field to operating campsite feels overwhelming.

Starting a camp business in the UK is entirely achievable if you understand the legal requirements and practical steps involved. Most landowners can operate a small certificated site without full planning permission, provided they meet specific criteria and work with exempted camping organisations. Larger operations require more extensive planning, but the process follows a clear structure.

This guide walks you through every stage of setting up your camp business. You will learn how to choose the right site type, navigate planning and licensing requirements, design your layout with proper facilities, set up operations and insurance, and launch your business to paying guests. By the end, you will have a clear roadmap from concept to your first booking.

What you must know before you start

You need to understand the fundamental difference between certificated sites and full planning operations before you commit time and money. The UK has a unique exemption system that allows landowners to run small campsites without obtaining full planning permission, provided they meet specific criteria and work through recognised camping organisations. This system exists because of exemptions granted to clubs under the 1960 Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act.

Understanding certificated sites vs full planning

Certificated sites operate under exemptions held by organisations like The Camping and Caravanning Club or Greener Camping Club. You can host up to five caravans or motorhomes and typically 10-15 tents for up to 28 consecutive days at any one time without needing planning permission from your local authority. If you want to exceed these limits, accommodate more units year-round, or build permanent facilities, you must apply for full planning permission through your local planning authority, which takes longer and costs more.

The exemption route offers the fastest path to opening your camp business, often taking just weeks rather than months.

Your land needs to tick essential boxes

Your land must meet minimum requirements regardless of which route you choose. You need at least half an acre of fairly level ground with safe vehicle access and unrestricted sight lines at your entrance. The site should sit in a peaceful, rural setting with natural screening from trees or hedges, positioned away from busy roads and neighbouring properties. If your house sits on or adjacent to the proposed campsite, you satisfy the residency requirement that most certification bodies require.

Step 1. Decide your campsite type and location

Your first decision shapes everything that follows: what type of camp you want to run and where exactly it sits on your land. This choice determines your licensing requirements, startup costs, and target market. You need to make this decision before approaching any certification body or planning authority, as different site types have different regulatory pathways.

Choose between camping, glamping, or mixed provision

Traditional camping pitches require the least infrastructure investment but generate lower income per pitch. You provide level ground, basic facilities like water taps and waste disposal, and let guests bring their own tents. Glamping accommodation (bell tents, shepherd's huts, pods) commands higher nightly rates and attracts customers seeking comfort, but you invest more upfront in accommodation units. Most successful new sites combine both: five glamping units certificated as caravans plus dedicated tent pitches fill different market segments and maximise occupancy.

Mixed provision sites typically achieve higher year-round occupancy rates than single-type operations.

Assess your land's suitability

Walk your property with a critical eye and identify the flattest, most sheltered area away from public roads and neighbouring properties. Your chosen site needs adequate vehicle access with clear sightlines at the entrance point, ideally suitable for motorhomes and caravans with passing places on single-track lanes. Check for natural drainage patterns, avoiding low-lying areas prone to waterlogging after rain.

Consider proximity to your residence. Most certification bodies require you live on site, adjacent, or very close to manage daily operations effectively. Measure your usable space: you need at least half an acre for a certificated site, but factor in buffer zones, parking areas, and facility locations when calculating actual pitch capacity. Sites within national parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty face additional scrutiny but remain viable if you demonstrate environmental sensitivity.

Step 2. Navigate planning permission and licences

The licensing process determines how quickly you open for business and how much regulatory oversight you face. You have two distinct paths: work with a certificated camping organisation for a small site, or pursue full planning permission for larger operations. Most landowners starting out choose the certificated route because it avoids the lengthy planning application process and associated costs.

Apply through a certificated camping organisation

Contact organisations like The Camping and Caravanning Club or Greener Camping Club to begin your application. You submit an online application form detailing your land, proposed facilities, and accommodation types. The application fee typically ranges from £150 to £300 plus VAT, with mileage charges for the initial site inspection.

The organisation conducts a desktop assessment first, reviewing your site's location, proximity to neighbours, and suitability based on your submitted information. If you pass this stage, they schedule an on-site inspection where experienced officers (often campsite owners themselves) spend approximately two hours assessing your land, access routes, and planned facilities. They evaluate natural screening, vehicle access safety, and your proposed pitch locations.

Certificated organisations handle all communication with your local planning authority on your behalf, saving you significant time and complexity.

Following the inspection, the organisation writes to your local planning authority and any affected neighbours, detailing the proposal and inviting comments within 28 days. This consultation period identifies potential objections early. Assuming no valid objections arise, you receive a conditional offer of certification outlining maximum unit numbers, operating periods, and any required improvements. You must accept these conditions in writing and display the club's branding on your website before receiving your exemption certificate.

Understand the full planning route

Full planning permission becomes necessary when you exceed certificated site limits (more than five caravans/motorhomes or 15 tents), want to build permanent facilities like toilet blocks, or plan to operate without exempted organisation membership. You submit a planning application directly to your local planning authority, which currently costs £578 for most campsite change of use applications in England (fees vary across UK nations).

Your application requires detailed site plans, access assessments, environmental impact considerations, and often supporting documents from specialists. The local authority publicises your application, consults statutory bodies, and allows public comment. Decision timescales typically run eight weeks for minor applications but frequently extend to three months or longer for complex sites or those in protected areas.

Prepare for conditional approvals and ongoing compliance

Whether certificated or fully planned, you receive approval with specific conditions attached. Certificated sites face conditions on maximum unit numbers (typically five caravans plus tents), operating seasons, and facility standards. Full planning permissions include conditions on access arrangements, drainage systems, lighting restrictions, and operational hours.

Document everything the certification body or planning authority requires: site plans showing pitch locations, access routes with sightlines marked, facility positions, and screening measures. Keep copies of all correspondence with neighbours and authorities. You must renew certificated status annually (usually £100-£120 plus VAT) and maintain compliance with all conditions throughout your operation. Planning permissions for full sites typically include review periods requiring you to demonstrate ongoing compliance with approved conditions.

Step 3. Design your site layout and facilities

Your site layout determines customer experience, operational efficiency, and compliance with certification requirements. You must create a detailed site plan showing every pitch location, facility position, and access route before submitting it to your certification body or planning authority. This plan becomes your operational blueprint and demonstrates you understand how to set up a camp that functions safely and comfortably.

Map your pitch positions and access routes

Mark individual pitch locations on your site plan, allowing minimum spacing of 6 metres between units to meet fire safety regulations. Position pitches on the flattest ground available, avoiding slopes steeper than 1:20 gradient where possible. Create a logical numbering system and mark each pitch location with a physical post or marker on the ground.

Design your internal road system with adequate width for motorhomes and caravans (minimum 3.5 metres wide for two-way traffic, 3 metres for one-way routes with passing places). Mark your main entrance clearly and ensure drivers have unobstructed sightlines when joining public roads. Create a dedicated parking area separate from camping pitches, positioned close to your entrance but screened from camping areas.

Clear access routes and well-spaced pitches prevent operational headaches and keep guests satisfied throughout their stay.

Install essential facilities for water and waste

Every camp needs potable water taps positioned conveniently throughout the site (ideally one tap per five pitches maximum). Install these at accessible heights with non-return valves to prevent contamination. Position waste disposal points including grey water drainage, black waste (chemical toilet disposal), and general rubbish bins at strategic locations that guests can easily reach but that sit downwind from camping areas.

Electrical hookup points require qualified electrician installation and must comply with BS 7671 wiring regulations. Plan for at least 16-amp supply per pitch if you offer electric hookups, positioning weatherproof connection points on sturdy posts approximately 1.5 metres from the ground.

Plan toilets and shower provision

Certificated sites typically use moveable or temporary structures housing compost toilets and showers, avoiding the need for planning permission that permanent buildings require. These structures must disconnect easily from services and could be removed at season end if needed. Calculate your facility numbers using the standard ratio of one toilet per five camping units and one shower per eight units minimum.

Consider converting existing agricultural buildings for toilet facilities through permitted development rights, which may allow change of use without full planning permission. Contact your local planning authority to confirm whether your existing structures qualify for this route before investing in conversions.

Step 4. Set up operations, safety and insurance

Your camp business needs robust operational systems and comprehensive insurance before you accept your first booking. Legal requirements for health, safety, and public liability protection apply from day one, regardless of your site size or certification type. You must document your operational procedures, conduct risk assessments, and secure appropriate insurance policies to protect both your guests and your business.

Create your operational procedures

Document your booking process from initial enquiry through to guest departure, including how you verify membership (for certificated sites), collect payments, and communicate site rules. Create a written procedure for guest arrival covering check-in times, pitch allocation, site orientation, and emergency contact information. Your arrival pack should explain facility locations, waste disposal procedures, fire safety rules, and quiet hours.

Develop a daily management routine that includes facility inspections, waste collection, and grounds maintenance. Morning checks should verify toilet cleanliness, water supply functionality, and general site tidiness. Evening rounds ensure guests comply with site rules, vehicles park correctly, and no hazards have developed during the day. Maintain a logbook recording all inspections, maintenance work, and incident reports.

Implement health and safety measures

Conduct a comprehensive risk assessment identifying all potential hazards across your site, including access routes, water supplies, electrical installations, fire risks, and facility areas. Document each identified risk and your control measures to eliminate or minimise it. Review and update this assessment annually or whenever you make site changes.

Install adequate fire safety equipment including fire extinguishers positioned at strategic locations (near facilities, reception, any structures with electrical equipment), clearly marked fire assembly points, and accessible water supplies for fire fighting. Create an emergency evacuation plan showing escape routes and assembly points, displayed prominently on your site map. Space your pitches according to fire safety regulations (minimum 6 metres between units) to prevent fire spread.

Your duty of care extends to every aspect of your guests' stay, making thorough risk assessment and documented safety procedures essential protection.

Implement first aid provisions by maintaining a fully stocked first aid kit in an accessible location and ensuring you or your staff hold current first aid certification. Display emergency service contact numbers prominently and mark your site's full address and what3words location for emergency responders.

Secure appropriate insurance cover

Purchase public liability insurance covering minimum £5 million (most insurers recommend £10 million) for claims arising from guest injuries or property damage. Certificated camping organisations require this coverage before issuing your exemption certificate. Your policy must specifically cover camping and caravan activities, as standard property insurance excludes commercial operations.

Add property insurance covering your facilities, equipment, and any glamping structures you own. Include business interruption cover protecting your income if you must close temporarily due to damage or other insured events. If you employ staff, obtain employer's liability insurance (legally required) covering £5 million minimum for employee injury claims.

Step 5. Launch, market and grow your camp

Your operational groundwork now complete, you shift focus to attracting paying guests and building a sustainable booking pipeline. Marketing a certificated campsite differs from traditional accommodation because your guests must hold club membership, but you still need visibility across multiple channels to reach your target audience. Launch activities start three months before your planned opening date to build momentum and secure early season bookings.

Create your website and booking system

Build a dedicated website specifically for your campsite (not a page added to an existing business site) to maximise search visibility and meet certification requirements. Your homepage must display your certification organisation's logo prominently, and your prices or contact page must include their information panel explaining the membership requirement.

Your website needs these essential elements:

• High-quality photographs showing pitches, facilities, and surrounding landscape
• Clear pricing structure including nightly rates and membership fees
• Booking contact form or integration with your chosen booking system
• Detailed facility descriptions and site rules
• Directions with postcode and what3words location
• Contact telephone number and email address

List your site on online travel agent platforms like Pitchup.com or Campsites.co.uk to accelerate your initial bookings. Make the membership requirement clear at the booking point, explaining the fee adds to the camping charge. These platforms provide instant exposure to thousands of active campers searching for sites in your area.

Generate bookings through targeted promotion

Email your certification organisation's membership base directly by ensuring your site appears in their directory and member communications immediately after certification. Send a launch announcement to local tourism boards, outdoor activity centres, and walking groups who recommend accommodation to their clients.

Most certificated sites generate 60-70% of their bookings through club member channels, making your certification organisation your most valuable marketing partner.

Create social media profiles on Facebook and Instagram, posting weekly content showing your site, local attractions, and guest experiences. Encourage early guests to share photographs and tag your location. Request reviews on Google and TripAdvisor from satisfied visitors, as positive feedback directly influences booking decisions for properties without established reputations.

Final thoughts

You now possess a complete roadmap for launching your camp business in the UK, from initial site selection through to welcoming your first guests. The certificated route offers the fastest path to market for most landowners, avoiding complex planning applications while still operating legally and professionally. Your success depends on thorough preparation, compliance with all certification requirements, and delivering exceptional experiences that generate positive reviews and repeat bookings.

Start by contacting your chosen certification organisation this week to begin the application process. While you wait for approval, focus on preparing your land, sourcing temporary facilities, and planning your operational systems. Your guests will need quality camping equipment during their stay, and outdoor adventure gear from Take a Hike UK ensures both you and your visitors access reliable products for memorable camping experiences.

Remember that your first season provides invaluable learning opportunities. Listen to guest feedback, refine your processes, and gradually expand your facilities as demand grows. Your camp business represents both a lifestyle choice and a commercial venture that can generate sustainable income for years ahead.