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5th June 2024
Farmers and Land
Owners with Unused Buildings - Good News!
With the lack of new housing always in the news headlines the conversion of unused land and redundant buildings makes for a perfect solution. It's a win-win situation where landowners can see lucrative returns and home buyers ultimately benefit too.
However, as with obvious answers to many different things, there often seems to be a complicated process put in place by local authorities or central government.
So last month's changes to permitted development (PD) rules are certainly good news for anyone thinking of putting some of their land or buildings to different use.
Red tape cut
One of the most popular forms of new home building is the conversion of unused farm buildings. The new changes to PD rules means that in most cases this type of development can now be undertaken for residential use without the need for a planning application.
Even more far reaching, the changes cover conversions into shops, cafés and sports facilities too.
Working farms can also now expand the number of buildings on site and their size to a far more generous extent without applying for planning consent. Under agricultural development PD rights new buildings on farms over 5 hectares can now be 1500 square metres in size and for farms less than 5 hectares the limit is 1250 sq m.
New homes
Official figures show that only 5,000 homes have been created on farming land since April 2014.
The new regulations aim to change things in a big way and this mean that there is now far more flexibility when it comes to redeveloping existing rural buildings into modern housing stock.
The 'Class Q' PD rights, which allow for agricultural buildings to be changed to residential, were first introduced in 2014. Previously covering old barns, sheds and grain stores, the new rules mean all former agricultural buildings that are no longer part of an established agricultural unit can be redeveloped without the need for full planning permission.
Increasing from five with a maximum floor space of 865m², the new limit will allow a creation of up to ten dwellings with a maximum cumulative floor space of 1,000m². A single-storey rear extension of up to 4m can also be added to a building as part of the change of use.
Many older farms may have older constructions that are not suited to the needs of modern farming methods for many different reasons. The new approach to permitted development means that many such buildings that might otherwise fall into disrepair can now be repurposed for residential use.
How we help
One of the great attractions of Brighton is that the true countryside is just minutes away. That's one of the reasons we are highly experienced in helping local land owners develop their 'land and new home' potential.
We work with architects, planning consultants, builders and developers to explore many different possibilities and can oversee the whole process right through to putting the new homes on the market.
Whether your project falls under the new PD rules or if you might need planning permission for something larger or more bespoke, we can help, advice and then act on your behalf to make sure everything goes to plan.
Contact David and Sharon in our Land & New Homes team for further details on 01273 27 88 66 or email [email protected]