England: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (England) Order 2013 will come into effect on 30 May 2013 and with it a number of much-anticipated permitted development rights. The new rights include larger rear extensions to houses and the change of use from offices to dwellings. But be warned things are complicated. The new rights don’t apply everywhere – for example the house extensions relaxation doesn’t apply in National Parks, AONBs or Conservation Areas. Many of the new rights still require you to submit your plans to the Council in advance – known as prior approval notification. Finally a number of the rights are only available for a time limited period for four years – and the development must be completed before the 30 May 2016.
The main changes are:
- Larger rear extensions to dwellings
- Change of use from office Use Class B1(a) to residential dwelling(s)
- Change of use of redundant agricultural buildings to a range of other uses
- Temporary change of use of shops (and other similar commercial premises) to a range of other uses for up to two years
- Larger extensions to retail, industrial, warehouse or office buildings
- Greater flexibility in changing between the business use classes for larger buildings.
For a more detailed look at the new rights check out our new Briefing Note on our Intelligence page.
If you want to know whether the new rights will help you out then do give us a call or email.