Pop up campsites in the forest

The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 provides an exemption for temporary 'pop-up' campsites, which allows the use of land as a camping site for up to 28 days a year without the need for planning permission. This 'permitted development right' was extended by Government to 56 days for 2020 and 2021 as a means of assisting the hospitality sector during the pandemic. This extended period ends on 31 December 2021.

Complying with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017

Issues affecting the District include wider recreational disturbance and impacts on the designated sites and the need for new development to achieve '' (nitrates and phosphates). In both cases any new development either granted consent by the usual planning application route, or by virtue of national 'permitted development rights must comply with the requirements of the Habitat Regulations.

The Habitats Regulations set out the process that any development coming forward under the General Permitted Development Order needs to follow to ensure compliance with these Regulations. It is a condition of any permitted development right that development which is likely to have a significant effect on a European Site cannot commence without the prior approval of the local planning authority (Regulations 75 and 77), which can only be given where the local planning authority has ascertained that development will not adversely affect the integrity of a protected site. Given the range and scale of internationally protected nature conservation sites in the New Forest and its coastline, these legal considerations are particularly important.

Like applicants for new residential development or other forms of visitor accommodation, landowners of campsites would also need to demonstrate effective mitigation for either nitrates entering the Solent designated sites catchment, or phosphates entering the River Avon catchment. The requirement for nutrient neutrality in new development applies across the whole of the District and landowners can prepare a site-specific 'nutrient budget' setting out how the nutrients arising from the pop up camp sites will be managed. Options include on- and off-site mitigation measures, proportionate to the scale of the development (and associated impacts) proposed.

In the absence of being able to satisfy these requirements, the campsite use would no longer benefit from permitted development rights and would require planning permission. As part of the consideration of a planning application the matter of phosphates or nitrates would need to be addressed, recreational pressure can be addressed through contributions.

Submit a Regulation 75 application (Word doc) [57KB]

You may wish to use a unilateral undertaking prepared by the Council which sets out an annual financial contribution and a requirement for waste to be taken offsite.

Please note that the owner stated in the Unilateral Undertaking must be the owner of the "Land" as registered on the title deed with the Land Registry.

Unilateral Undertaking for temporary campsites (Word doc) [52KB]

The UU must be submitted to us together with:

a red line plan
your financial contribution
an initial checking fee of £75.

Please do not amend the text of the main agreement and please send in a draft unsigned version for checking first.