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ARTICLE · 09 FEBRUARY 2016

Office To Residential Permitted Development Right To Be Made Permanent

Clyde & Co
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After much speculation, the end of 2015 brought confirmation from the Government that the permitted development right for the conversion of office to residential use will be made permanent.

United KingdomReal Estate and Construction
Emma Barkas
Emma Barkas
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After much speculation, the end of 2015 brought confirmation from the Government that the permitted development right for the conversion of office to residential use will be made permanent. This is consistent with the Government's oft-stated commitment to kick start new housing delivery.

As traversed in the Spring 2013 edition of the Bulletin, the permitted development right was first introduced in early 2013. It has been popular with developers as an opportunity to create residential units without the need for a planning application and free from affordable housing obligations or other financial planning obligations. More recently, developers have been reluctant to commit to such conversions because the existing provisions require the residential use to have 'begun' by May 2016, which (amongst other practical difficulties) has given rise to concerns over its interpretation and has presented issues in obtaining funding for these projects.

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