How the easiest form of farm diversification is powering a post-COVID rural recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic produced mixed fortunes for rural communities and the rural economy.

On the one hand, farmers and farm labourers saw little change in their working day as food production remained a priority to keep the country fuelled for the long fight ahead.

On the other, country pubs, shops, and restaurants – often the beating heart of villages and market towns – were devastated by the successive lockdowns and social distancing regulations, leading not just to the loss of livelihoods, but almost all social contact in some of the UK’s most remote regions.

As the pandemic continued, the outlook appeared bleaker and bleaker for the glorious British countryside.

It therefore came as a surprise to many that salvation – or at least, part salvation – lay in the tweaking of an obscure piece of planning legislation little known outside local council circles. But in June 2020, the UK Government announced that Permitted Development Rights (PDR) would be extended from 28 days to 56 in England for the remainder of the year, to help the rural economy recover from the pandemic.

In practical terms, the change enabled farmers and other land-based businesses to carry out some kind of diversification activity on their land for up to 56 days each year without having to apply for planning permission. Previously, the limit had been 28 days.

They responded in droves, and in the vast majority of cases the diversification project of choice was a ‘pop-up’ campsite as these are cheap, quick and easy to establish, and can be very lucrative.

In the wake of the regulation change, online campsite booking platform, Pitchup.com, saw a surge of temporary, farm-based campsites registering with them and immediately decided to support farmers providing tourism facilities in any way they could.

When the first lockdown eased, COVID-weary holidaymakers desperate for a break but wary of foreign travel made an exodus from the UK’s towns and cities to discover parts of England they had never visited before, many staying on the newly formed, pop-up sites.

“It was a perfect storm,” Dan Yates, founder of Pitchup.com, said.

“Extending PDRs meant setting up a campsite suddenly became worthwhile for far more farmers, and this coincided with a huge demand for staycations driven by people being cooped up during lockdown and being unable, or lacking the desire, to go abroad.

“What was really great to see was that the visitors didn’t just spend their money with the campsites. All the local businesses that had made it through the first lockdown and reopened began to see an influx of new people.

“So, whereas they might have felt the future looked bleak, this surge of new customers helped them to get back on their feet.

“Extending PDR was an inspired decision by the government because it actually created the result it set out to do – help the rural economy recover.”

Of course, it wasn’t all plain sailing. Successive lockdowns and ongoing social distancing rules created by COVID continued to take their toll on rural communities.

And it isn’t just the pandemic that farmers and rural people are currently dealing with. Reduction to the Basic Payment Scheme, the phasing-in of environmentally based payments, not to mention Brexit, are all exerting extra pressure.

But it is here that campsites can help alleviate some of that strain.

“Temporary campsites are very easy to set up,” Mr Yates said.

“At their most basic, all you need is some toilets and running water. Showers are usually provided, but not essential.

“Most of the farmers we know who have run one say they’re very easy to manage around the day-to-day farming activities as the campers go off to explore the local area. Many also enjoy having more people around the farm, especially after COVID deprived people of social interaction.

“But the most common reason for setting one up is how lucrative they can be. The smallest temporary, farm-based campsites average around £13,000 of additional income per season and many earn more than £50,000. Our top earning site this year has made more than £120,000 over the holiday season, which is a huge amount, and it really helps in making a farm business profitable.”

Pitchup.com’s support for pop-up campsites, farmers and the wider rural economy led to the business being crowned a 'Pandemic Hero' at the National Farm Attraction Awards (NFAN) 2021, presented by Countryfile host, Adam Henson, winning the 'Trade Heroes' category.

The business has campaigned to have the 56-day threshold increased to help more rural enterprises recover and is now asking the government to at least to retain the current status quo into future years.

One farmer whose campsite benefitted from this year’s surge in interest was Oliver Surman who rears 200 head of organic Aberdeen Angus x Hereford beef stores on his farm near Upton upon Severn, as well as growing organic potatoes and cereal crops.

Recently, Mr Surman played host to Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston at his farm campsite, Little Fish Meadow, to explain the benefits the 56-day ruling had had.

He said: “The 56 day rule has made it possible for a lot of farmers across England and Wales to open a campsite for the first time, as many didn't feel 28 days was long enough for it to be viable. 

“This has been fantastic for the farmers themselves and has had significant benefits for wider rural communities.

“I would estimate that everyone who stays with us spends between £25 and £30 a day with surrounding businesses which has a really positive impact on the local economy.

“They may buy ice creams in the afternoon, perhaps hire a canoe or boat and go on the river, have lunch and drinks in the local pub and in the evening, go into the town.

“Upton is a tourist town and without visitors it would suffer. Campsites like ours are a fantastic way to boost visitor numbers during peak season when demand is at its highest

and with the extended planning regulations in place, that is happening all across England and Wales.”

Mr Surman added he already ran a number of diversification activities on the farm, including a music festival, a triathlon, an organic ready meals business, Pegoty Hedge, but COVID had been the impetus to focus more on his campsite and list it on Pitchup.com for the first time. 

“I’ve been blown away by the response,” he said.

“People have been coming from all over and seem to be having a wonderful experience. Often, they’ve never camped before and turn up with a tent straight from the outdoor shop that they don’t know how to put up, but they soon figure it out.”

Mr Yates described the 56-day extension as a ‘godsend’ for working farmers and rural communities.

He said: “The way tourists use these sites means an entire community can share in the benefits of just a single pop-up campsite.

“The experience of farmers who use us to market their sites seems to be there are no downsides at all. With that in mind, we’re hopeful that further flexibility over Permitted Development Rights and licensing will be granted for 2022.”

Any farmers or landowners interested in setting up a pop-up campsite for the 2022 season can find out more at https://www.pitchup.com/how-start-campsite-caravan-park/ and https://www.pitchup.com/join/ or phone 0203 743 9975.