A Guide To Class Q Permitted Development For Barn Conversions
As a semi-rural, award-winning practice, Pell-Stevens Architects are very familiar with the needs of agricultural landowners and their tenants, and the variety of buildings present on their land. As such, we are routinely engaged for our expertise in the design of agricultural buildings and facilities and their necessary planning consents.
Barn consented for ‘Class Q’ residential conversion, Sussex. External walls will receive horizontal cladding
Barn consented for ‘Class Q’ residential conversion, Sussex. Robust concrete truss structure helps ensure this building is suitable for conversion
Farms and farmsteads typically contain several buildings in use and there is often a requirement for these to be extended or replaced, or for an additional new building to be added, to serve a specific agricultural business need. However, some agricultural buildings become redundant from their original purpose, for instance if a farm has diversified, such that the building no longer has a viable agricultural use, despite its inclusion within part of a farming unit.
The potential conversion of these buildings to residential houses became somewhat easier with the introduction of 'Class Q' to the General Permitted Development order in 2015. Whilst there are strict guidelines for the conversion of these redundant buildings, a recent revision to the order in May 2024 has increased the scope of what might be possible and introduced some pragmatic revisions to the treatment of the buildings once converted. A planning application for 'Prior Approval' is required for such qualifying buildings.
So what are the guidelines? Most obviously, the redundant building must be situated on agricultural land and must be in a viable condition for conversion. This means that the existing structure must be capable of supporting those works reasonably necessary for the building to function as a dwelling house. Some new building works are allowed to support the conversion, but re-building is not permitted.
Listed buildings do not qualify for this form of Permitted Development and sites within designated land, such as National Parks, Conservation Areas and National Landscape areas, are also excluded. Open-sided buildings, such as Dutch barns, would not qualify and neither would buildings that are located in impractical or undesirable locations. This might include buildings that are difficult for vehicles to access or are simply too remote. Finally, no single house created can exceed 150 square metres of internal floor area, but larger buildings could be sub-divided to form more than one new dwelling.
Barn consented for ‘Class Q’ residential conversion, Sussex. External walls will receive horizontal cladding
A revision to the legislation in 2024 has helped to ease the process of compliance and has increased the possibility to convert larger, redundant buildings. A previous cap on the maximum size of buildings for conversion has been raised from 450 to 1,000 square metres, with a maximum of 10 new residential units possible in such a multi-occupancy conversion. This allows a greater number of redundant buildings to be viable for consent and a increased number of new homes that could potentially be created.
There were a couple of further, important revisions; previously, the building itself had to be in agricultural use prior to becoming redundant. From May 2024 any building that is part of an agricultural unit could be converted, such as a large storage shed or equestrian stables. It's worth noting that stables, when not existing on agricultural land, do not benefit from Class Q rights.
Secondly, a strict criterion of these conversions, is that any new works must not exceed the existing building envelope in any direction. Whilst this principle remains, a slight easing has been introduced, such that protrusions of up to 20cm are now permitted to accommodate building operations. This small change is significant as it allows room for the installation of, for example, external insulation beneath the finished weather surface. This results in a wider range of options for the conversion without falling foul of the permission granted.
Barn (foreground) consented for ‘Class Q’ residential conversion, Nottinghamshire.
Once Prior Approval consent is granted, conversion of the building can proceed. There are however, further planning consents that you may wish to consider applying for first. Class Q Prior Approval provides a fairly limited size of residential land with the consent, effectively the same footprint as the building itself. This needs to contain a garden and any car parking. A planning application can seek to extend this residential curtilage to a more appropriate size and outbuildings, such as a garage, can also be applied for. Should a change of facing materials such as timber cladding or roof coverings be sought, these too can be subject to a planning application; sensitive choices of material are more likely to win local authority support.
On the subject of planning consents, it's worth knowing that holding a Class Q approval can form part of a wider fallback position, should an owner be considering a different residential development for the building. The Class Q approval is a clear material planning consideration, should an applicant wish to propose perhaps, an alternative new build house, in place of a consented barn conversion. Any such proposal would require full planning consent and whilst some local authorities are resistant, others actively encourage such applications, if they can prove a benefit under national and regional planning policy.
With the success we have gained in obtaining ‘Class Q’ consents for our clients, Pell-Stevens Architects are pleased to offer our expertise to agricultural land owners and tenants.
Barn consented for ‘Class Q’ residential conversion, Nottinghamshire. Planning consent permits new openings in the external walls to create doors and windows.