What is Class R?
Class R is a permitted development right that allows qualifying agricultural buildings and certain former agricultural buildings to change to a range of flexible commercial uses without a full planning application, subject to detailed criteria and prior approval from the local planning authority.
Class R covers only the change of use. Any building works to make the space usable are a separate matter, covered further down.
Which commercial uses does Class R cover?
Class R allows qualifying agricultural buildings to change to a range of flexible uses, including Class E commercial, business and service uses, Class B8 storage and distribution, Class C1 hotels, Class F2(c) outdoor sport and recreation, agricultural training and certain restricted Class B2 industrial uses. Following the initial change of use, the building is treated as having a sui generis use. However, Class R allows subsequent changes between the specified flexible uses, subject to the relevant notification or prior approval requirements.
A building has to meet several conditions to qualify:
The floorspace changing use must not exceed 1,000 square metres within a single established agricultural unit, though more than one building can be converted.
Where the agricultural use began after 3 July 2012, the building must have been solely in agricultural use for 10 years.
Where a building was used solely for agriculture as part of an established agricultural unit on 3 July 2012, it may qualify under Class R. However, its subsequent use and current planning status may also be relevant when establishing eligibility.
Where a building was not in use on 3 July 2012 but had previously been used, its last use must have been solely agricultural as part of an established agricultural unit.
The building must not be listed, or within the curtilage of a listed building.
Where Class R can help when a full application is hard
Class R can open a route to commercial uses that would not normally be acceptable in the countryside. It can work within the Green Belt, National Landscapes, National Parks and conservation areas, and the building does not need to be redundant or vacant to be eligible. This is where Class R can achieve something a full application often cannot.
Notification or prior approval, by size
Class R works on two tiers, set by how much floorspace is changing use, so an owner needs to know which tier theirs falls into.
For buildings up to and including 150 square metres, no prior approval is needed, and the change of use can proceed without the council's approval. This route still requires a prior notification, telling the council in writing about the conversion.
For buildings of more than 150 and up to 1,000 square metres, prior approval is required, and the proposal is assessed for transport and highways impacts, noise, contamination risk, and flood risk at the site.
Importantly, the thresholds relate to the cumulative floorspace changed under Class R within the established agricultural unit, not simply the individual building.
Building works are a separate matter
Class R doesn't permit external changes to the building, such as new doors, windows or walls. To carry those out, a separate full planning application is needed. The Class R consent acts as a fallback position in that application, so the council should not act unreasonably in determining it.
The process and timescales
We prepare and submit the necessary notification or prior approval application, depending on the scale of the proposal. For schemes involving no more than 150m² of cumulative floorspace, the required information must be provided to the council before the change of use takes place. Larger schemes are subject to a 56-day prior approval procedure. Where the council fails to notify a decision within this period, the development can generally proceed under the deemed-consent provisions, provided all relevant Class R requirements are satisfied.
Common uses and opportunities
Class R opens up uses such as hotels, offices, cafes, gyms and farm shops, giving landowners and farmers a way to diversify. A building changed under Class R can later move to another of the flexible uses, subject to a further application. These schemes sit alongside the wider rural and diversification work Cheffins handles.
When Class R does not apply
Class R does not apply to listed buildings, or to buildings within the curtilage of a listed building, and it does not allow any external building works as part of the change of use. Where a building needs additional works to suit the client's requirements, or the client wants a use that Class R does not cover, a full planning application is the appropriate route.
Why Cheffins?
Cheffins can secure the consent and then let or manage the commercial space it creates, so the enquiry earns its keep more than once. Our commercial team can market the property, find tenants and manage the building, picking up where the planning work leaves off.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change my farm building to commercial use?
A farm building can be changed to commercial use through Class R, or through a full planning application where the Class R criteria cannot be met.
What is Class R permitted development?
Class R permits the change of use of certain agricultural buildings to flexible commercial use, provided the criteria are met.
Do I need planning permission to run a business from a farm building?
Yes. Running a non-agricultural business from a farm building is a change of use from agricultural to commercial, so it requires permission, either under Class R or through a full application.
Can I use Class R in the Green Belt?
Class R can apply to agricultural buildings in the Green Belt, subject to meeting the criteria.
How big a building can change use under Class R?
Class R permits the change of use of agricultural buildings with a cumulative floor area of up to 1,000 square metres per agricultural unit.
Speak to the planning team
Not sure whether your farm building qualifies for Class R? Send us the details and we can check the position and set out your options. Get in touch with the planning team or request a callback.