Class Q allows for grand designs and more
We are becoming more familiar with ‘Class Q’ which is using Permitted Development rights to change the use of agricultural buildings to residential use, writes Hannah Moule.
Class Q even allows non-traditional buildings such as steel frame buildings, at-cost and breeze block building to be changed into residential use.
Whilst some barns offer incredible ‘grand design’ opportunities, others even when converted will still end up looking ‘like a shed’.
This is where Class Q ‘super charged’ comes in – we now are able to use the Class Q consent as a stepping stone to supersede the Q, to new build plots instead, on land near the shed, rather than converting the shed itself.
A recent example in Worcestershire saw a tin shed eventually end up as three new build plots, worth in excess of £600,000 – and they still have the shed.
Finding funds for diversification or providing accommodation for future generations is crucial, selling off three or five house plots could provide you with the capital to ‘supercharge’ your business.
The Rural Planning Co undertake some projects on a no win–no fee basis, so you genuinely have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
Hannah Moule is a rural chartered surveyor and planning consultant
