Campsite near East Sussex village gets green light to operate legally in spring and summer after 'ten-year breach of planning control'
A campsite in Firle is allowed to operate legally from May 1 to September 30 every year.
Firle Estate had applied, via the agent Strutt & Parker, to South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) in August 2025 for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development (CLEUD).
The application was for land adjacent to Heighton Street, Firle, for the established use of this land as a recreational campsite with up to 50 pitches.
The application’s covering letter said the 4.2 hectare site had been used for camping without planning permission for ten years.
But it said it sought confirmation that the ‘existing permanent intermittent use of land’ for camping is ‘lawful due to a continuous ten-year breach of planning control between June 2015 and June 2025’.
The covering letter added that no other use of the site would be permitted between October and April when the land would remain unused. It said: “This will allow an operator to use the land for camping during the relevant season each year without having to seek prior approval under the provisions of Class BC before commencing use for the summer.”
In response to the application, the SDNPA’s decision notice (dated December 31, 2025) confirmed: “The evidence submitted demonstrates that on the balance of probability the land has been used as a campsite since 2015 and is thereby immune from enforcement action and hereby considered lawful.”
Strutt & Parker’s letter explained that the site consists of land that was once used for agricultural purposes, having previously been used as part of the Firle Estate’s agricultural enterprise. It said that since at least 2015 the site has been managed by two different camping operators. The letter said: “Between 2012 and 2023, the site was leased to a camping operator tenant who in the later years of occupancy operated under Yamp Camp Ltd. The current operators, Woodfire Camping, have been in situ since summer 2024.”
It added that the camping is described as ‘permanent intermittent use’ because the camping infrastructure, like toilets, showers and kitchen, remain on site all year round.
The submitted evidence included historical Google Earth satellite imagery, as well as Facebook posts from 2022 and Trip Advisor reviews from 2015-2025.
The SDNPA’s decision said the proposal did not ‘raise any crime and disorder implications’ and said: “In reaching this decision the local planning authority has worked with the applicant in a positive and proactive way, in line with the NPPF.”
A Woodfire Camping spokesperson said: “Woodfire has its roots in the South Downs and we are very grateful to the Firle Estate for the opportunity to manage the beautiful campsite at Firle. Woodfire was the UK’s first gastro campsite at Westerlands, West Sussex where we have been working with local farms and food producers to create a unique experience, serving local food, cooked over fire to campers who want to visit the area. We have interpreted this experience to the site in Firle, using local suppliers and employing the most sustainable practices.
“We recognise the role that we provide as a conduit to the surrounding countryside and the importance of working closely with Firle village, the parish council and the South Downs National Park and we will continue to work hard to demonstrate our responsibility.”
Visit www.woodfire.co.uk.