Existing buildings are often a quicker route to a new use, or to a home, than new-build development. Some changes need only prior approval, others need full planning permission, and the answer depends on the building, its history and where it stands.
We assess what is possible, choose the right route and prepare the application.
What it can cover
- Agricultural buildings to homes (Class Q prior approval)
- Commercial, business and service premises to homes (Class MA prior approval)
- Farm diversification: workspaces, storage, farm shops, holiday lets and equestrian uses
- Changes between commercial uses, such as offices, retail, light industrial and storage
- Re-using redundant rural buildings for employment, tourism or community use
- Certificates of lawfulness, where a use has continued for long enough to become lawful
How it works
Look at the building
Its history, use, structure and location, and who owns what around it.
Choose the route
Permitted development with prior approval, a lawful use certificate, or full planning permission.
Do the technical work
Surveys where needed, for example structural, ecology, flood risk and access, then the application itself.
Follow it through
We submit, deal with the council and help with any conditions.
Worth knowing
Permitted development rights change often and carry conditions. They can be limited or removed in some places, for example in conservation areas, on land with certain designations, or where a council has made an Article 4 direction. We check the current rules for your building before advising.
Listed buildings, and buildings within the grounds of a listed building, need special consideration and often separate consent.
In the Green Belt, re-using an existing building can be acceptable in principle in some circumstances, provided it preserves openness and the building is of permanent and substantial construction. Each case turns on its facts.
Even where a building can be converted in principle, you may need ecology surveys (bats and barn owls are common in old barns), a structural survey, and consideration of access, drainage and contamination.
Common questions
Can I convert a barn to a home without full planning permission?
Sometimes. Class Q allows certain agricultural buildings to become homes, subject to prior approval from the council. There are conditions about the building’s use, structure and location, and it is not automatic. We check whether your building qualifies and what the council will look at.
What is prior approval?
A lighter-touch process for some permitted development rights. The principle of the change is already granted nationally, and the council considers only specific matters, such as transport, flood risk and the building’s suitability. The council has a fixed period in which to decide.
Can a change of use be refused?
Yes. Where a change of use needs planning permission it is judged on its merits, including its effect on neighbours, traffic and the surrounding area. We will give you an honest view before you apply.
This page is general information, not legal or professional advice on your site. Planning policy and rules change, so we check the current position for every project.