Adding glamping pods to your land

Some farmers and landowners put a few glamping pods on a field to earn from holiday guests. The rules that apply depend partly on how a pod is built and fixed to the ground. These notes cover the questions that are particular to pods in England, Scotland and Wales.

Is a pod a caravan?

The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 defines a caravan as a structure designed or adapted for people to live in that can be moved from one place to another. It can be towed, or carried on a motor vehicle or trailer. A tent is not a caravan.

A planning law firm reports that the Valuation Office Agency has treated glamping pods and shepherd's huts as caravans, because they are not fixed permanently to the land. The question it asked was whether a pod could be moved, not whether anyone meant to move it. The same firm describes a council that took enforcement action against four camping pods, which it treated as buildings. So the way a pod is made and fixed matters.

Planning permission and the site licence

In England, Scotland and Wales you usually need a licence from your local council to use land as a caravan site. You must have planning permission for the site before you apply. The licence lasts as long as the planning permission.

The council can attach conditions to the licence. These can cover the layout of the site, the types of caravan allowed, and the toilets and washing facilities. You can appeal against a condition to the local magistrates' court.

The 60-day campsite rule does not cover pods

Since July 2023, landowners in England can run a temporary recreational campsite without applying for planning permission, under a rule called Class BC. That rule does not allow caravans to be sited, except motorhomes. A pod that counts as a caravan sits outside it, and so needs the usual permissions.

Business rates on holiday lets

Whether a holiday let pays business rates depends on how many nights it is available and how many nights it is actually let. In England, a property is valued as self-catering accommodation when it is let for 28 nights or less at a time. It must have been available for at least 140 nights and let for at least 70 nights in the last 12 months.

In Wales the thresholds are higher, at 252 nights available and 182 nights let. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules. You apply to the Valuation Office, which sets the rateable value.

Short-term let licences in Scotland

Scotland licenses short-term lets. The Scottish Government's guidance for hosts names glamping pods and shepherd's huts as accommodation that can need a licence. Caravans let on a licensed caravan site are excluded from the scheme.

Fire safety for paying guests

In England and Wales, fire safety law applies when you have paying guests, including in self-catering lets. The responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment and review it regularly. Scotland has its own fire safety rules.

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