PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT UPDATES

Updates were made to the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) in May 2019.

​This is the Statutory Instrument that allows certain works to be carried out without the need for obtaining planning permission. The summary below outline changes. 

Under Prior Approval, home owners are allowed to extend their house to the rear by up to 8m in length (in the case of a detached house) and up to 6m in length in the case of any other house as long as they are not located in a conservation area or other designated area (Class A, Part 1, Schedule 2). Previously there was an end date of 30th May 2019, but this sunset clause has been removed making the change permanent.  

Other Permitted Development updates include:

1. Class M (retail, betting or pay day loan shop to residential) now includes A5 takeaways as part of the pre-existing uses that can be changed to residential. An impact assessment is required to assess that there is an adequate provision of existing services in the area.
2. The addition of a  new Class of Permitted Development -  Class JA (retail, takeaway, betting office, pay day loan shop and launderette uses to offices (use class B1(a))). To qualify premises need to be in their pre-existing use on 29 October 2018 with no more than 500sqm of floorspace changing use. A prior approval application is required to assess impacts of the proposed change of use in respect to transport and highways, noise from neighbouring commercial and retail premises, and on whether there remains “adequate provision of services” in the area, particularly where the site is located within a shopping area, to ensure the ongoing sustainability of that shopping area.
3. Class Q (agricultural buildings to dwelling houses) has been widely reported on within the rural sector since its introduction in 2014. However, under the new guidelines, it is now possible to provide up to five new dwellings on an agricultural unit, with the maximum floor area for conversion increasing from 450sqm to 865sqm. The following development is now allowed under Class Q: 

• Up to three larger homes with a floor space of 101-465sqm; or
• Up to five smaller homes, up to 100sqm; or
  A mix of both of the above. 

The changes offer landowners greater opportunity to utilise redundant buildings. Landowners can also "game" the amendments to their maximum potential, being a total combined floor area of 865sqm. This could be made up of a combination of large and small homes.  

However, it is important to note that Class Q is not available for Listed Buildings or those buildings that fall within a Conservation Area, or other similarly protected sites. Other criteria must also be met, and applications will be assessed with regard to transport, highways and noise impacts, contamination and flood risks. The building must be suitable for conversion to residential use, structurally able to take the loading of the residential conversion, and the design and external appearance of the proposed conversion must also be deemed to be appropriate. 

4. ​In regard to temporary buildings and uses (Part 4, Schedule 2), Class D, which allows shops, financial, cafes, takeaways, pubs etc. to change to a temporary flexible use, has been expanded to allow certain D1 uses to change for a temporary period. The period during which the premises can operate under another use has been extended from 2 years to 3 years. It must also be noted that since June 2019 Class P (storage & distribution to C3) permitted development no longer exists.