Welsh government decides not to relax agritourism planning rules

Welsh farmers could miss the chance to make thousands in extra revenue this year as the Welsh government has decided not to relax planning regulations affecting agritourism.

Despite launching a consultation into extending Permitted Development Rights (PDR) in February 2022, reports suggest the Welsh government has opted not to go through with the change due to ‘limited resources’.

Rural campaigners say the move could cost Welsh farmers thousands of pounds this year, and the wider rural economy millions of pounds.

PDR enable farmers and landowners to set up temporary campsites on their land for 28 days per year without needing to apply for further planning permission.

However, in June 2020, the UK government temporarily extended this to 56 days per year to help the rural economy recover from the pandemic and to provide increased capacity for people unable to holiday abroad.

The Welsh government made a similar move in April 2021, extending the limit to 56 days for the rest of the year.

The scheme was such a success, generating more than £25m for the UK rural economy in 2021, that it prompted the Welsh government to launch a consultation into permanently extending PDR to 56 days, in February 2022.

The devolved government has remained tight-lipped on the consultation since then and so far has made no public announcement on the outcome, despite promising one in 2022.

But sources close to the Welsh government have told outdoor accommodation website Pitchup.com a decision to keep the allowance at 28 days has been taken.

Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, said the saga of the Welsh government consultation into PDR had been "dragging on well over a year now, without any meaningful updates".

"But we have it on very good authority – sources close to the government – that the change has been canned, for this year at least," he said.

“The government seems to be citing a lack of resources as the reason the change won’t happen, but this seems at odds with the length of time the consultation has been going on.

"Surely, over the course of the past 16 months, they could have found the time to make a decision."

Currently, the UK government is consulting on extending PDR in England to 60 days per year, but putting a 30-pitch cap on campsites wanting to open for the full 60 day term.

No such consultation is taking place in Scotland, nor has the Scottish government announced it intends to make any changes to the regulations governing pop-up campsites.

However, out of the whole of the UK, figures suggest Wales would benefit the most from extending PDR, as 34% of holidays in Wales involve camping or caravanning, compared to just 20% in England and 21% in Scotland.