Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has announced plans to ban pop-up campsites from operating within the national park by removing permitted development rights.
The ban will take effect on Wednesday 1 January 2026, meaning that summer 2025 will be the last opportunity for landowners to open temporary recreational campsites.
Permitted development rights for camping were first extended to 60 days during COVID to help rural communities recover from the pandemic, but they reverted to 28 days in 2022.
The rights allowed campsites with fewer than 50 tents or caravan spaces to be established without needing a full planning application, making it easier for landowners to set up temporary or seasonal campsites.
The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority says the ban will help protect the park's landscapes and ease pressure on local infrastructure. However, the move has provoked a strong reaction from some landowners and farmers in the national park.
David Williams who runs Clifftops Camping at Druidston said losing the income from the campsite might mean he has to reconsider his entire way of life and move.
David grew up in neighbouring Carmarthenshire on a dairy farm but relocated to the national park 30 years ago. He now lets most of the land to a neighbour for grazing.
But in the summer he runs the campsite for the full 28-day period, which provides income to support his other jobs.
David said: “I’m a professional photographer. I focus on surfing and get my pictures published in surfing magazines. I love Pembrokeshire and I love surfing. But there’s not much money in it.
“I’m also a computer programmer and build websites. But where I am, businesses don’t have a lot of cash so my income stream is limited.
“To take away the campsite income would be devastating. I would have to reconsider my whole life [...] and possibly move. There’s not a lot of work for a computer programmer in Pembrokeshire.”
David added the move felt like a kneejerk reaction to the popularity of Pembrokeshire during COVID, when visitors who could not go abroad flocked to the area.
“2020 and 2021 were exceptional summers,” he said. “I’ve lived in Pembrokeshire for 30 years and those two summers were by far the busiest due to the restrictions on foreign travel and people coming out of lockdown.
“But the last two summers have been normal British summers and as a consequence, Pembrokeshire has been emptier than it’s been for 10 years. It really feels like an overreaction.”
"Lack of communication"
Another farmland owner and temporary campsite operator, Sion Bevan from Woodlane Camping near Haverfordwest, has been running a site on a field that's not used for stock. He's been bemused by the lack of communication from the National Park Authority.
"The thing I’m most annoyed about is that they are not explaining why. They’re not giving a reason. They haven't been in touch about this new development. We only heard about it through the people we advertise the campsite with.
"I've applied in the past for permission to create a permanent campsite and I got an instant no. They just said there are too many in the county.
"Yes, there are a lot of campsites in Pembrokeshire, but there’s always room for little ones. Our guests enjoy our campsite so much because it’s quiet.
"It’s about giving campers the space and choice to visit a small campsite."
"Concerns about visual impacts on the landscape and risks to biodiversity"
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has been quick to assure landowners that the decision to remove permitted development rights for 28-day camping sites will help ease environmental and local infrastructure pressures.
When we contacted them, a Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority spokesperson said:
“The introduction of an Article 4 Direction to remove permitted development rights for 28-day camping, caravan and mobile home sites within the National Park aims to manage the impact of unregulated temporary camping on the National Park’s protected landscapes and ecosystems.
“The new measures follow extensive public consultation during 2024 which revealed strong support for increased controls. The consultation highlighted concerns about visual impacts on the landscape, risks to biodiversity, and pressures on local infrastructure.
“Introducing the Article 4 Direction will allow the Authority to require planning permission for temporary 28-day camping, caravan and mobile home sites, ensuring that their location and operation are carefully managed to protect the National Park’s unique environment and our communities.
Fast-tracked application service
The spokesperson also revealed that in future there will be no cost to apply for a full planning application for 28-day sites.
They assured that planning officers would also provide a free pre-application advice service to help applicants with the planning process.
"The Authority will introduce a fast-tracked service for such applications and there will be no cost to make such applications. The Authority will also consider granting longer-term planning permissions where appropriate so businesses do not have to apply for planning permission each year."
"A kick in the teeth for farmers"
However, Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, described the situation as a "kick in the teeth" for farmers and landowners trying to scrape a living in the National Park.
Pitchup.com successfully campaigned to get permitted development extended in England from 28 days to 60 days last year, and has since been lobbying the Welsh government for similar changes.
The move would add millions to the Welsh rural economy, Yates claims, by freeing up farmers and landowners to host thousands of extra tourists.
“At a time when governments are understanding the positive impact pop-up campsites can have on the rural economy, and changing the regulations accordingly, this move by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority is both draconian and completely out of step."
The second public consultation on the Article 4 Direction ends on 21 February 2025.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is one of three national parks in Wales – the others being Eryri (Snowdonia) and Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons). There are 15 national parks in Britain.
Neither of the other Welsh national parks has plans to introduce similar measures.
A Pembrokeshire Coast National Park spokesperson said: "The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park covers a lowland coastal area which is very distinct geographically to the other two national parks in Wales. This geography lends itself to campsites and results in particular demands that have created localised pressures within the national park.
"The geography of Pembrokeshire Coast is very similar in nature to that of the Gower Protected Landscape which has had a more extensive Article 4 in place since the 1970s."
Main image credit: Getty Images