Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the permitted development rights to establish campsites for up to 56 days usage annually, what powers local authorities have to (a) issue Article 4 directions in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to require planning permission to be sought for temporary campsites and (b) to impose controls on highway safety grounds.

There is a permitted development right in place which allows for the temporary use of land for up to 28 days. We have doubled the amount of days allowed in 2021 to 56 days in order to provide flexibility to local communities and businesses, including for example to run outdoor events such as car boot sales, or to temporarily use land as a campsite.

Local authorities retain the ability to put in place Article 4 directions in accordance with policy set out in the NPPF. Local authorities are responsible for managing their road networks, and have duties placed on them through legislation to provide safe movement for all traffic. They have a wide range of powers and tools available to them to deliver this through the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the Highways Act 1980 and the Traffic Management Act 2004.