Is Your Site Ready for Britain’s Staycation Boom?

The British staycation is no longer a recovery story. Guests are still choosing to holiday at home, and their expectations have risen. Comfortable lodges, characterful glamping, proper amenities, and the extras that turn a single visit into an annual booking: these are what today’s visitors want.

For many operators, the ambition is clear but the path to delivery is not. Almost every kind of development you might consider, whether adding new pitches, building lodge accommodation, upgrading facilities or changing how part of your site is used, will require some form of planning consent. And planning, particularly in the rural and coastal settings where most parks sit, is rarely simple.

Why location affects your glamping site permission

Most holiday parks occupy attractive countryside for a reason. The same qualities that draw guests, open landscape, proximity to the coast, a valley or woodland setting, often place a site within or close to a protected area. National Landscapes (formerly known as AONBs), National Parks and other designated environments all carry higher planning restrictions. Applications in these locations face greater scrutiny, and the supporting information required is more extensive.

That does not mean development is impossible. It means applications need to be prepared properly. Questions around landscape and visual impact, ecology, drainage, highway access and the wording of existing occupancy conditions all need to be addressed before submission. The operators who build that groundwork into their designs consistently achieve better outcomes.

What needs planning permission?

Glamping structures, whether safari tents, eco pods or permanent units with hot tubs or saunas, all need planning consent. But so do amenity buildings, play areas, spas, farm shops, cafés and fishing lakes as well as well as new access points and parking areas.

Even changes that feel minor can trigger a consent requirement, particularly where they alter the use of part of a site or affect its character. A site appraisal at the outset is the most reliable way to understand what your proposal actually needs, and where the realistic opportunities lie.

Your glamping planning application

Before committing time or money to design work, the most valuable first step is an honest feasibility assessment. This establishes what your land can realistically support, identifies where the planning constraints are most likely to appear and shapes a stronger proposal from the start. This is particularly important where rural diversification planning involves protected landscapes or existing occupancy conditions. It also avoids the costly frustration of developing a scheme that was never well-suited to the site.

From there, the process involves coordinating specialist consultants where required, preparing and submitting applications, negotiating with the local planning authority and managing conditions through to discharge. Where a project encounters difficulty, whether through a refusal, an appeal or an enforcement matter, having experienced support already in place makes a material difference.

On the East Sussex/Kent border, BM secured permission for both a glamping pod and a campsite operating between May and September. The glamping pod application had previously been dismissed at appeal under a different consultant. A thorough understanding of local policy and careful preparation of the application made the difference.

Keeping pace with the planning system

The planning system has changed significantly in recent years. The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, a revised National Planning Policy Framework and ongoing amendments to Biodiversity Net Gain have all shifted how applications are assessed. Biodiversity Net Gain in particular has real consequences for any scheme that expands a site’s built footprint. Getting the approach right at the outset can save both time and costs later.

Staying up to date on changes in the system is not straightforward for a busy park operator or farmers looking to diversity. It is, however, a core part of what a specialist, chartered planning consultant does. Understanding those requirements before submission is now a standard part of any planning application.