Farmers in England could miss out on vital revenue from agritourism this year thanks to the UK’s failing planning system, according to outdoor accommodation specialist Pitchup.com.

National statistics released last week revealed that the number of standard minor commercial planning decisions* - including those for agritourism projects - fell by more than 50% between 2017 and 2022.

Yet despite the fall, the proportion of decisions made by local planning authorities after the statutory eight week limit almost doubled, leaving hundreds of applicants across the country frustrated.

This, along with a significant delay in the government’s consultation into permanently extending Permitted Development Rights (PDR) for camping, means the opportunity for farmers and other landowners to earn vital revenue from tourism this year is being severely hampered.

According to the figures**, a total of 6,710 standard minor commercial planning decisions* were submitted in England in 2017, with 12.3% (824) failing to be decided on in the statutory eight week period. 

However, by last year the number of planning decisions plummeted to just 3,205 but the proportion of those that failed to meet the eight-week deadline soared to 23.1% (739).

Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, described the figures as a ‘kick in the teeth’ for farmers.

He said: “Between 2017 and 2022, the number of standard minor commercial planning decisions more than halved yet the proportion of those that failed to be decided upon within the statutory time limit almost doubled.

“Whereas some of this is due to the more complex applications being submitted in a different way, the situation overall is absurd. You’d have thought with far fewer decisions overall, planning authorities would be able to hit the deadline on all but the most complex of applications. But the figures show this isn’t the case at all, in fact their performance has sunk to a five-year low which has a huge knock on effect for farmers trying to set up diversification projects.”

Although many farmers apply for full planning permission to set up permanent agritourism projects, others rely on Permitted Development Rights (PDR) to run seasonal caravan and camping sites.

PDR enables farmers and landowners to run a pop-up campsite for 28 days per year without applying for extra planning permission, but this is often unprofitable due to the cost of hiring facilities such as toilets and shower units.

Just over a month ago, the government launched a consultation*** into permanently extending PDR to 60 days per year for up to 30 tents, but according to Dan Yates, the outcome of the consultation will come too late for farmers struggling to make a living this year.

“2023 is shaping up to be a record year for camping,” he said. 

“But with the consultation likely to take months, the measly 28-day PDR looks set to remain in place for the holiday season, despite bookings levels 40% up on last year.

“This is a shame because PDR is often the way by which farmers get into diversification projects. Once they’re successful, they then apply for full planning permission. 

“But with the planning system broken too, any application for an agritourism project potentially faces lengthy delays. Extending PDR could have provided a sticking plaster for the situation, enabling farmers to operate a pop-up camping site throughout the summer while waiting for full planning permission to be granted. But this isn’t available due to the delay in the consultation. 

“As a result, many farmers will be writing the holiday season off this year as an opportunity to earn some much needed extra revenue from diversification.”

During the COVID pandemic, the government temporarily extended PDR to 56 days to help the rural economy recover from the impact of successive lockdowns, as well as provide extra capacity for British holidaymakers unable to travel abroad. 

The move injected an extra £25m into the rural economy in 2021, yet despite this, PDR returned to 28 days at the end of that year.