There may be good news for farmers on the horizon as the rules for pop-up campsites could be relaxed.

Joanna Averley, the chief planner for the ministry of housing, communities and local government, has announced the government is to consult on a new permitted development right (PDR) to support pop-up camping for summer 2023.

In the meantime, she called upon planning authorities to take a ‘positive approach’ to planning applications for new campsites, to support tourism and hospitality services in local areas.

If successful, the consultation is likely to lead to an extension in the length of time farmers and other landowners can operate temporary campsites on their land without having to apply for planning permission.

Currently the limit stands at 28 days, although between June 2020 and December 2021 the government extended this to 56 days to help the rural economy recover from the pandemic.

Dan Yates, founder of outdoor accommodation booking site Pitchup.com, welcomed the news adding that the previous extension to 56 days had injected around £25million to the rural economy.

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With the staycation boom still in full swing, any future extension would not only provide further benefits to rural communities, but it would also create much needed extra capacity for the large numbers of tourists planning to take their holidays in the UK.

Mr Yates said: “The chief planner’s announcement is fantastic news for rural England, which is still struggling to recover from the impact of Brexit and Covid.

“The previous extension to PDR was a fantastic success which by our calculations resulted in a boost for the rural economy of £25million.

“This really helped farmers and wider rural communities hit by the Covid pandemic get back on their feet, while at the same time, provided much needed opportunities for people to holiday at a relatively low cost in some of the country’s most beautiful locations.

“We’re delighted to see Joanna Averley calling for a lenient approach to landowners applying for planning permission this year, but we’re even more pleased that she has announced a consultation on this issue.

“This, along with the consultation currently going on in Wales will hopefully lead to PDR being extended once again – possibly permanently – and set a precedent for other parts of the UK to follow.”

According to figures released by Pitchup.com, the original extension to PDR in June 2020 led to a large number of pop-up campsites being set up.

In 2019, when the 28-day limit was in place, only 31 new pop-ups listed on Pitchup.com - but when the rights were extended to 56 days in 2020, this number leapt to 130 new sites.

In 2021, a further 934 new campsites listed with Pitchup.

Pop-up campsites are the cheapest, quickest, and most cost effective forms of diversification open to farmers, said Mr Yates, and even the smallest sites generated on average around £13,000 in extra revenue for farms across the summer season.

Others earned as much as £120,000 and more as campers flocked to enjoy an on-farm break.

“As the reduction in the Basic Payment Scheme really starts to bite, temporary campsites are an excellent way to redress some of the balance,” he said.

“What’s more, they are very easy to manage alongside a farming operation.

"At their most basic, all that is needed is a single field, running water and some toilets and away you go.

"You’ll be surprised at just how many people want to come and enjoy the peace and quiet.”