Amendments to the Class Q Permitted Development Right

Greenslade Taylor Hunt summarised the changes to Class Q, the permitted development right for converting agricultural buildings to homes, which took effect on 21 May 2024. It advises seeking planning consultant advice before making any prior approval application.

The headline change lifts the maximum number of dwellings on an agricultural unit from five to ten, with total new floorspace capped at 1,000 sq m. However, the largest permitted size for an individual home falls from 465 sq m to 150 sq m. A single-storey rear extension of up to 4m may also be added, provided it sits on existing hardstanding. The firm foresees possible disputes over what counts as a barn's rear elevation, and over how some wording should be read.

The right remains tightly limited. Listed barns and those in National Landscapes (previously AONBs), Conservation Areas and certain other designated areas cannot use it. Barns need suitable access to a public highway and must be able to meet the national minimum space standards. A barn must either have been part of an established agricultural unit on 24 July 2023, even if no longer used for farming, or, if built after that date, have formed part of such a unit for ten years. Barns that have since left an agricultural unit might still qualify depending on when that happened and how they have been used since.

Transitional rules give a window until 21 May 2025 to apply under the earlier Class Q criteria, which could suit anyone wanting a home larger than 150 sq m.

Source: Greenslade Taylor Hunt, original article (26 May 2024)