Changes to Class MA (Commercial to Residential) Permitted Development

The Government has introduced changes to the Class MA permitted development regime which take effect from 5th March 2024.

Class MA - which sits under Schedule 2, Part 3 (Changes of Use) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) - allows for a change of use from a building falling within Class E (commercial, business and service uses) to a Class C3 dwellinghouses. This is subject to an application for Prior Approval, with the local planning authority required to determine the application against a closed list of criteria. Class E uses include, amongst other uses, shops, offices, leisure and medical services.

The changes being introduced remove previous requirements under Paragraphs MA.1 (a) and (c) such that there will no longer be a requirement for the building to have been vacant for a period of 3 months prior to submission of an application for Prior Approval, and the previous limit to the floor space that can be converted under Class MA will be removed. All other criteria and conditions remain unaffected.

Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss these changes.