PERMITTED DEVELOPMENTS: CONVERTING URBAN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS TO RESIDENTIAL 39
PERMITTED DEVELOPMENTS: CONVERTING URBAN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS TO RESIDENTIAL
What is your current status regarding work on permitted development (commercial to residential) projects? Not Planning Starting Underway
INTRODUCTION P
ermitted development planning rules have existed for some time, but in August 2021 they were updated by the then-Conservative Government to include what is known as Class MA – the conversion of certain commercial buildings to residential use, without the need for full planning permission. Only requiring ‘prior approval’ from the relevant local authority, projects, while constrained, have possible benefi ts for all involved parties; it’s a much quicker route to development, taking far less time than achieving full planning permission. This can make it a viable option not only for developers but also for local authorities in areas where housing demand is particularly high. It also broadens the possibilities for landlords or building owners who are struggling to fi nd tenants or buyers in the commercial sector.
PD was ‘freed up’ further in 2021 to give a much-needed boost to the UK’s struggling high streets, feeling the impact not only of a shift in consumer spending but also the long-term effects of
Covid. Utilising existing buildings would bring new life back into towns, helping local economies as well as supporting the 15 minute city model, and goals.
Class MA has also been applauded as a means to leverage sustainability credentials by reusing buildings. The use of brownfi eld sites avoids building on greenfi eld land, and refurbishing older buildings to modern standards means generally improving the eco credentials. Refurbishing generally also carries a vastly reduced carbon footprint over new build, with much of a development’s embodied carbon coming from the production and transportation of construction materials. Historic England says that reusing existing buildings as opposed to demolishing and rebuilding is “necessary for a low-carbon future.” As well as reducing the carbon emissions generated by new construction, building reuse also “capitalises on the ‘stored carbon’ within existing buildings.” Despite the undeniable benefi ts, there have been concerns
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