Class Q Permitted Development
Class Q Permitted Development allows agricultural buildings to be converted to houses, subject to certain criteria. Here are some of our recent Class Q projects.
Barn Conversion Won at Appeal
We recently won an Appeal for a barn conversion in rural East Hampshire. We originally secured a fallback position by agreeing that the principle of conversion was Class Q Permitted Development, and therefore did not require a full planning application. However, our client’s preferred option for the site included extensions, a cartshed and other work that fell outside of what was permitted under Class Q, therefore an application was submitted.
The Council, when deciding, disregarded the fallback position and found that conversion was against policy in principle. They refused the application on that basis, rather than in response to the specific changes to the building from the Permitted Development scheme.
At Appeal, the Planning Inspector agreed with us that the fallback position should have been given significant weight in making a decision. The extension and other development proposed did not affect the acceptability of the scheme, therefore they allowed the Appeal and granted planning permission.
New houses in the countryside
Old agricultural buildings represent a real opportunity for residential development through Class Q Permitted Development rights. At an agricultural site in the West Sussex countryside, we have recently secured prior approval for the conversion of two barns to form individual new houses in a location where new housing would not normally be considered.
As we were able to prove that the site met all the relevant criteria, the Permitted Development rights mean that the Council can have few objections, in this case only attaching the reasonable requirements of assessing land contamination and drainage details.
For the full legislation on Class Q Permitted Development, visit the governments website.
