Class P consent…just in time!

One of our clients asked for planning advice in respect of a number of former farm and commercial storage buildings which sit in the Warwickshire Green Belt.

At that time of our initial advice, we were aware that the Government intended to remove the temporary ‘Class P’ provision which allowed the conversion of certain Use Class B8 (Storage & Distribution) buildings into dwellings under ‘permitted development’ via a simplified Prior Approval application process. We advised our client of the need to submit the Prior Approval application to convert their storage building on the site into 3 dwellings and this needed to be done at least 56 days before the Class P rights expired in June 2019. Time was tight - however we lodged a valid submission within the deadline.

Rather unusually, the Council failed to respond to the Prior Approval notification within the required 56 day time period and this meant the approval was obtained by default.

This means the building, of around 480 sq.m, can be converted into 3 dwellings; this is despite it being in the Green Belt and therefore in a location where

development is normally restricted. Nationally, the simplified application process under Class P for converting storage buildings to residential uses has now been withdrawn.