Planning Approved for Reinstatement of Green Belt Building for Dwelling Use

We are very pleased to be able to report a recent grant of planning approval at Solihull’s Planning Committee to reinstate a former agricultural building and convert it to a dwelling. The site is located in the Green Belt.

This was a very unusual case with a complex planning history. The original agricultural building had brick and timber walls and asbestos sheeting and Solihull Council agreed to a ‘Class Q’ prior-notification conversion. The council also permitted a subsequent amendment to the original Class Q to make it a wholly brick and tiled dwelling.

As the council hadn’t previously asked for any structural reports, conversion works started and some of the original building was dismantled. At this point the client approached Tyler Parkes for planning advice as the council’s enforcement officer suggested the dismantling meant works could not proceed under the Class Q prior notification approval.

We approached Solihull Council and then submitted a planning application which argued there were very special circumstances to warrant approval in this Green Belt location. The case was not supported by the officer but the Planning Committee were very sympathetic and agreed there would be no discernible difference between the scheme which the council had previously agreed under a Class Q permitted development and the scheme now in front of them. The granting of the permission means the client can now create the home for herself and family which she had always hoped for.