Diversification Opportunities For Farmers Following Recent Planning Changes

There has been some good news for owners of farms and estates with the government confirming a series of reforms to permitted development rights under Classes Q and R of the GPDO 2015 which will make diversification and growth on farms and estates easier.

Class Q covers the change of use from agricultural buildings to dwellinghouses, and Class R covers the change of use from agricultural buildings to various commercial buildings. The new reforms introduce the following changes:

• An increase from five to ten on the maximum number of residential dwellings which can be created from a barn conversation;
• An increase from 865m2 to 1,000m2 on the total permissible floorspace for residential dwellings created from barns, with a limit of 150m2 per individual unit;