Change of use planning drawings in London: prior approval or full application

Often, through Class MA prior approval rather than a full application. Shops are Class E premises, and Class MA allows Class E to C3 conversion if the use has run for at least 2 years and the building is not excluded, for example a listed building. The council still assesses matters such as natural light and flood risk, and a borough Article 4 direction can remove the right.

The 2024 amendment order, in force on 5 March 2024, removed the requirement that a building be vacant for a continuous 3 months before the prior approval application and removed the upper limit on floorspace. The 2 year continuous-use requirement remains, and so does the rule that development must be completed within 3 years of the prior approval date.

Offices are within Class E, so an office can become a dwelling under Class MA prior approval if the 2 year use test is met and no exclusion applies. Listed buildings, scheduled monuments, safety hazard areas, sites of special scientific interest, National Parks, AONBs, the Broads and World Heritage Sites are excluded. A borough Article 4 direction, such as those in Lambeth and Hillingdon, can also withdraw the right in named areas.

No. Moving from one primary use to another within the same use class is not development under section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, so a shop becoming a gym or a clinic needs no change of use application. Any external alterations, such as a new shopfront, may still need permission, and licensing rules are separate.

Prior approval applications are determined under the process in paragraph W of Part 3, and paragraph W gives the authority 56 days from receipt to notify its decision, after which the developer may proceed. Complete drawings and evidence at the start are the best way to avoid a request for more information. The development must then be completed within 3 years of the prior approval date.

Yes, a conservation area does not exclude Class MA. Where the building is in one and the change affects the ground floor, the council considers the impact on the character or sustainability of the area as a prior approval matter. Listed buildings and their curtilage are excluded, and the borough may also have an Article 4 direction removing the right.

Under Class MA, the matters are transport impacts, contamination, flooding, noise from commercial premises, natural light in all habitable rooms, fire safety where the fire risk condition applies, conservation area impact for ground floor changes, and the loss of a registered nursery or health centre. Each needs drawings or a supporting report.

Usually. Regulation 5 of the Building Regulations 2010 treats a building that gains a flat, or a room for residential purposes, where it had none before, as a material change of use. This brings fire safety, escape, ventilation, sound and energy standards into play, and building control approval is a separate application from the planning route.

Then Class MA does not apply in the area covered, and the change to residential needs a full planning application judged on local policy. Lambeth's modified directions cover parts of the Central Activities Zone, industrial areas and town centres. Hillingdon's modified direction took effect on 27 March 2024. Check the council's maps against your address.

Class L of Part 3 permits a change from a dwelling (C3) to a small HMO (C4) for 3 to 6 unrelated people, unless an Article 4 direction removes it, as several London boroughs have done. An HMO for 7 or more people always needs permission. Licensing is separate from planning and is decided by the council's housing team.