Barn and rural building conversions. Class Q or full planning?

Who it is for

For farmers and estates with buildings they no longer need, for buyers of barns with or without consent, and for investors and developers looking at rural conversions. Schemes range from a single barn to a group of buildings.

What to consider

• Class Q permitted developmentSince 21 May 2024, Class Q allows up to 10 homes from buildings on agricultural units and former agricultural buildings, with up to 1,000 square metres in total and no home larger than 150 square metres. A single-storey rear extension of up to 4 metres is allowed on existing hard surfacing, and the existing building must be able to meet the national space standard.
• Where Class Q does not applyIt cannot be used in conservation areas, National Landscapes (formerly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty), National Parks, the Broads, World Heritage Sites or Sites of Special Scientific Interest, or for listed buildings and scheduled monuments. Those buildings need full planning permission, judged against local policy on reusing rural buildings. Class Q can be used in the Green Belt.
• Prior approvalEven under Class Q, the council must approve the transport and highways impact, noise, contamination, flood risk, whether the location or siting makes the change impractical or undesirable, the design and external appearance, and the natural light in the homes. The council has eight weeks to decide, and the conversion must be completed within three years of approval.
• StructureClass Q covers conversion, not rebuilding. A building that would need what amounts to a new structure to become a home will not qualify. Steel-framed barns and solid walls usually convert better than open-sided pole barns, so a structural survey comes early.
• Services and accessWater, power, drainage (often a treatment plant rather than mains), broadband, and safe access and visibility onto the road can add significantly to the cost.
• EcologyBarns are often used by bats and barn owls. Surveys can only be done at certain times of year, so they need planning into the programme. Biodiversity net gain does not apply to permitted development, but protected species law still does.
• Value and costConverted rural homes can sell well, but conversion often costs more per square metre than building new. The VAT position on converting non-residential buildings and selling the homes can help the numbers; your accountant should confirm it.

The options

• Secure prior approval and sellAdd value with a Class Q approval or planning permission, then sell to a buyer or developer.
• Convert and sellCarry out the conversion and sell the finished homes.
• Convert and keepLet the homes, or keep one for the family.
• Full planning for a better schemeWhere Class Q is too restrictive, a planning application may allow more homes, more extension or a better design.
• Commercial use insteadThe separate Class R right allows some agricultural buildings to change to commercial, storage, light industrial or hotel uses, up to 1,000 square metres.

How we help

• Feasibility studies: what the site or building could become, and what each option costs and returns
• Site identification: finding and securing the right site
• Development management: managing the scheme, including the planning process and the right planning consultant
• Delivery strategy for complex sites
• Project management

Guides

• What a development feasibility study covers, and what it costs to skip one