Sites and buildings
High street and retail buildings. What is the space above the shop worth?
Many high street buildings earn less than they could. Upper floors sit empty or under-used, shop units are hard to let, and the land behind parades is often wasted. Planning has become more flexible, with most town centre uses now in one class, but the building, the street and the council’s policies still decide what is possible.
Who it is for
For owners of shops and parades, landlords with empty upper floors, investors buying town centre buildings, and owners of yards and garages behind shops.
What to consider
- Class E flexibilityShops, cafés, offices, gyms, clinics and nurseries are all in Class E, so a unit can usually change between them without planning permission. Pubs, takeaways and some other uses are outside it.
- Upper floors and conversionUpper floors can often become flats, through Class MA or a planning application. Separate access from the street, fire separation from the shop, refuse and cycle storage are usually the practical hurdles.
- Conservation areas and heritageMany high streets are in conservation areas or contain listed buildings, which affects shopfronts, windows and alterations, and under Class MA the council can consider the loss of a ground floor commercial use.
- Land behind the paradeYards, garages and car parks behind shops can sometimes take new homes, subject to access, neighbours and servicing for the shops.
- Vacant unitsCouncils can now auction leases of long-empty high street units in some circumstances, so owners of vacant shops should keep an eye on the council’s approach.
The options
- Re-letFind a new occupier within Class E, perhaps with a lighter refurbishment.
- Convert the upper floorsCreate flats above the shop, keeping the commercial ground floor.
- Develop the land behindNew homes on yards, garages or car parks.
- RedevelopReplace the building with a mixed-use scheme.
- SellWith or without consent in place.
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
Case studies
Guides
Common questions
Can I turn the flat above my shop into separate flats?
Often, subject to the space standard, access, fire separation and the planning route. Under Class MA, the council will also consider the loss of a ground floor commercial use in a conservation area.
Can I change my shop into a café or a gym?
Usually yes, without planning permission, as they are all in Class E, unless a condition or the lease restricts it. Takeaways and pubs are outside Class E.
Is the yard behind my shops worth anything?
Possibly a lot, if it can take homes. Our Kingston case study is an example.