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Alister Smith, professional partner and head of Stags planning and design provides an update on the Governments plans for Permitted Development Rights.
Following a consultation last year on extending Permitted Development Rights and reviewing the planning system to help the rural sector, which included the possible extension of Class Q permitted development rights, the Government has confirmed that the changes will be announced on 9th April 2024. Quite what they will be remains to be seen but it appears the revisions will focus on economic related development and Rishi Sunak, speaking at the National Farmers Union conference in Birmingham on 20th February, has announced that he wants farmers to be able to ‘easily’ develop buildings and diversify earnings through farm shops, commercial space and sporting venues.
To do this, he said that the government would “cut bureaucratic red tape” around permitted development rights (PDR).
The government expects the move to “benefit the broader rural community by increasing job opportunities and commercial units available, helping local residents to develop small and medium enterprises in rural communities, and connecting communities more with their local farms”; however, at the same time the Government has also announced that a new use class will be created for short-terms lets not used as a sole or main home. Whilst the government has said that it also intends to introduce rights to allow for a property to be changed from a short-term let to a standard residential dwelling and to allow a standard residential property to be changed to a short-term let, local authorities would be able to remove these permissions and require full planning permission should they deem it necessary.
With a number of property owners, including those in rural areas, having diversified into holiday letting or wishing to do so but also looking for future flexibility should economic conditions change, these revisions are not wholly welcome. The actual implications remain to be seen as it is not yet clear how many local authorities will look to ‘clamp down’ as a result of these changes.
To discuss how these changes may affect you, contact one of our knowledgeable members of the planning team on 01392 439046 or planning@stags.co.uk
