DCLG consults on ditching planning permission requirement for change of use

The government has launched a consultation on scrapping the requirement to obtain planning approval for a change of use from a commercial property to a residential property.

The proposed reform would see the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 amended to grant permitted development rights for change of use from class B1 (Business), B2 (General Industry) and B8 (Storage and distribution) to class C3 (Dwelling houses) without the need for planning applications.

Ministers said the changes would make it easier for developers to turn vacant offices into new homes and provide a boost to housing supply.

According to the Department for Communities and Local Government, vacancy rates for commercial land of 7-9% suggested that there was an oversupply. Only 2.8% of new homes in 2009/10 came from office conversions.

“If all the long-term office space currently available was converted it could potentially deliver 250,000 new homes and save just under £140m over ten years in unnecessary red tape costs,” the DCLG said.

The DCLG has also launched a wider review of Use Classes Orders and their interaction with permitted development rights, with a view to reducing the planning burden further.

The Communities Secretary has urged local authorities to make greater use of their existing local planning powers, Local Development Orders, to grant permission and reduce the planning burden locally.

Eric Pickles said: "Many towns and cities have office blocks, warehouse and business parks needlessly lying empty, while housebuilding has fallen to the lowest in peace time history because the planning system has tied developers up in knots of red tape.

"By unshackling developers from a legacy of bureaucratic planning we can help them turn thousands of vacant commercial properties into enough new homes to jump start housing supply and help get the economy back on track. Councils already have powers to give greater local planning discretion and they should us them more to promote growth."

The consultation paper can be downloaded here. The consultation runs until 30 June.