Michael Gove must protect the Great British Summer and extend the 56-day rule

This article was written by Brodie Farrow from Pitchup.com.

After two summers in which permitted development rights for the use of land for pop-up campsites were temporarily doubled from 28 days to 56 days, rural communities, small businesses and local economies benefited by tens of millions of pounds by providing much-needed camping and glamping accommodation to the public. This concession facilitated safe and affordable outdoor holidays with a low carbon footprint, resulting in minimal complaints over the 18-month period.

Whilst relaxed permitted development rights brought in during the pandemic have been made permanent for bars, cafes, restaurants, outdoor weddings and historic visitor attractions, the 56-day allowance for camping has reverted to the original 28 days. As a result, site owners and rural communities, which have borne the brunt of the estimated £146bn in UK tourism losses between 2020 and 2021, stand to lose out after the statutory instrument allowing the extension expired at the end of 2021.

The ongoing campaign to support rural communities by securing a permanent extension to 56 days was positively addressed by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove in Parliament on Monday 7th March, as he recognised the ability of permitted development rights to "provide people with the opportunity to holiday in places as beautiful as North Yorkshire". However, despite these warm words there has been no commitment by the Government to extend permitted development rights from 28 days.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Sir Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby and advocate for the extension, highlighted that 56 days would provide farmers and landowners with another source of income, and allow existing campsites to expand. Sir Robert also remarked that the 56-day allowance "worked really well last year", after Covid provisions doubled the allowance from the original total of 28 days.

As well as the range of benefits that 56 days has brought, the reality is that the 28-day allowance now in place is wholly insufficient, as it is not long enough for most sites to risk the outlay on facilities such as portable loos and showers needed to operate a site. This is because when the 28-day period begins for a temporary site, it cannot be easily paused in the instance of poor weather, midweek days with minimal demand and the days on which temporary structures are erected and taken down. The 28-day period is therefore expended quickly due to a range of unavoidable circumstances, significantly reducing the chance for sites to recoup their investment.

Pitchup.com, the UK's leading campsite booking website, believes that there are two central considerations for the Government which undermine the 28-day limit. The first, as set out above, is the risk it poses to aspiring temporary site operators. The second is that the 56-day allowance over the last two years has caused negligible harm whilst delivering a combined £25m in on- and off-site spend within rural communities, many of which were badly impacted by the pandemic – income described as a "godsend" by farmers.

Indeed, these benefits have been recognised by devolved governments in Wales and Scotland: UK Government now finds itself in a position where Scotland has de-facto extended the 56-day rule, after its Chief Planner instructed non-enforcement of the allowance, whilst Wales has proposed a permanent extension. Moreover, testament to the success of the last two years and lack of disruption caused by the extension, the Lake District National Park has also supported an extension to the 56-day allowance.

With the cost of living increasing and a resilient market for staycations that has seen Pitchup.com record a 145% uplift in advance bookings compared to February 2020 levels, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has the chance to make a modest but hugely impactful change to permitted development rights, which has already been piloted for two years during the pandemic. Indeed, with DLUHC due to publish a report on "rural proofing" soon, the Department should seize this opportunity to reform policy to 'level up' rural communities.