Planning Use Classes – ‘Your flexible friend’

The Department for Communities and Local Government is consulting on proposals to amend the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended) to allow further flexibilities between use classes. The consultation will close on 15th October 2013.

The order provides for certain permitted development rights which allow the use of a property to change without planning permission and the consultation seeks views on proposals to change permitted development rights to allow: 

• Change of use from an existing building used as a small shop or provider of professional/financial services (A1 and A2 uses) to residential use (C3).
• Retail use (A1) to change to use as a bank or a building society.
• Change of use from existing buildings used for agricultural purposes of up to 150 square metres to residential use (C3).
• Premises used as offices (B1), hotels (C1), residential (C2 and C2A), non-residential institutions (D1) and leisure and assembly (D2) to change to nurseries providing childcare.
• A building used for agricultural purposes of up to 500 square metres to be used as a new state funded school or nursery providing childcare. 

The proposals, which apply to England only, also include granting implied permission to carry out certain building works connected with the change of use.