“The right campsite in the right place.”

“The right campsite in the right place.”

Local residents and Friends of the Lake District are urging the Lake District National Park Authority to agree to a change in the way temporary, or pop-up, campsites are allowed to operate.

Under the current rules, in force since 2023, any field can be used for a campsite with up to 50 pitches for 60 days a year without needing any planning permission. There is no minimum distance from homes or assessment of access required, and no ecological or landscape surveys are needed. Prior to 2023, temporary campsites could only operate for 28 days under the same rules.

Issues with some temporary sites

Whilst many temporary campsites are well run and placed in appropriate locations, some have been causing issues for local residents, and causing harm to the landscape and environment around them.

At one site near Windermere, residents noted open fires in the week of the national wildfire alert. There were also reports of littering, noise and disturbance. Elsewhere, sites have operated immediately next to Sites of Special Scientific Interest. At Nibthwaite, two sites ran on both banks of the narrow River Crake with access to the river for watersports advertised, even though otters, which are sensitive to disturbance, have been recorded there.

Campers’ own reviews of several Lake District pop-up sites, published on Pitchup.com, describe music until 4am, toilets “overflowing and unusable”, poor access and no staff on site to raise concerns with.

Article 4 Direction

We began logging residents’ concerns using an online survey over the summer. We used this feedback, along with other evidence, to press the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) to consider introducing an Article 4 Direction in relation to temporary campsites. An Article 4 Direction is not a ban, but it would require campsite operators to submit a planning application where all issues (positive and negative) can be considered.

In October, the LDNPA agreed to progress an Article 4 Direction and a public consultation was launched. If confirmed at its meeting in December, this would mean that from March 2028 a temporary campsite in the National Park would need planning permission, like any other campsite.

Local residents support the change

A residents’ petition: “Close the campsite loophole in the Lake District” in support of the rule change has received more than 1,900 signatures.

Sarah Wilson, who lives in Bowness beside a field where a campsite ran for 60 days this summer, says: “There’s nothing wrong with pop-up campsites. The problem is where they go. The one near us was in the setting of a Grade II listed farmhouse, in a conservation area the LDNPA had designated seven weeks earlier. It was less than ten metres from a neighbour’s back door. Nobody was allowed to ask a single question about any of it. The Article 4 Direction doesn’t ban anything. It means a planning officer looks at the site first. A well-run campsite in a sensible place can get permission.”

Lorayne Wall, Head of Planning and Policy at Friends of the Lake District, agrees: “This is not a ban on pop-up campsites and nobody is asking for one. It’s a request that, in the National Park and World Heritage Site, impacts are assessed through the planning application process and mitigation is put in place where required. Many local residents have contacted us raising concerns about pop-up sites near to them with evidence of harm to ecology and the landscape, and to heritage assets, such as listed buildings. These are key features of the National Park that visitors and residents value.”

New Forest example

An Article 4 Direction has been in place in the New Forest National Park since 2022 in response to concerns raised regarding the impacts of temporary campsites on local communities and on the wider landscape and sensitive habitats of the area.

David Illsley, Head of Planning and Place at New Forest National Park says: “We recognise the positive role campsites play in enabling people to visit and enjoy the New Forest National Park, as well as supporting landowners. Our experiences of having applied the Article 4 Direction in the New Forest National Park for the last four years is that it allows our planning team to assess each proposal on its individual merits, taking account of planning policies, environmental impacts and local circumstances, as well as the views of consultees. The vast majority of planning applications for temporary campsites triggered by our Article 4 Direction have been permitted, with the use of appropriate planning conditions to manage impacts.”

The Lake District National Park Authority is consulting on the Direction until Monday 16 November. Comments can be sent to planning@lakedistrict.gov.uk quoting “Article 4 Direction 7/2026/ART43”.

Friends of the Lake District is working with local residents to make statements in support of the change in rules at the LDNPA committee meeting in December.