Do you want to be a landlord and have other businesses working around you? There is a permitted development right that enables farms to convert buildings for business uses. This is known as Class R.
Class R allows change of use from an agricultural building (and land within its curtilage) in England to flexible commercial use. This can take many forms, including the following:
- Shops
- Financial and professional services
- Restaurants and cafes
- Business
- Storage or distribution, including internet sales
- Hotels
- Assembly and leisure
So if you would be willing to have an office or hotel or storage in your buildings, this might be an ideal permitted development option for you! However, certain criteria must be met in order to achieve this. They are as follows:
- The subject building needs to have been solely in agricultural use on the 3rd July 2012 (or when it was last in use).
- If brought into use after 3rd July 2012, it must have been maintained in that use for a minimum of ten years.
- The total cumulative floor area of the existing building(s) – within the planning unit – which have changed under Class R rights, must not exceed 500m².
- The building(s) must not be:
- A listed building (or within the curtilage of a listed building)
- A scheduled monument (or part thereof)
- Form part of (or be located within) a safety hazard area
- Form part of an explosives storage area
It can however be in a National Park, Area of National Beauty, Conservation area etc. The building does not need to be redundant.
For planning advice, call Greg on 07969994945 or 015395 66248 to discuss your buildings or to arrange a site visit.