A Developers Guide to Class Q

What is Class Q?

Class Q allows for the conversion of buildings on or around agricultural units (e.g a farm holding) to houses without the need to apply for planning permission. In a nutshell you coudl think of it as the change of use of agricultural land to residential dwellings.

This includes the change of use of a building or any land within its curtilage, including the building operations reasonably necessary to convert the building, to Use Class C3 (dwelling houses).

Changes to Class Q in May 2024

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of Class Q - its really important to know that the rules changed on the 21 May 2024. Primarily this increased the overall amount of cumulative floorspace developers can convert (now up to 1000 sqm), increased the number of dwellings that can be built (up to 10), and allows for more flexibility on what buildings can potentially be used. The new rules do however curtail the maximum size of a dwelling quite significantly (down from 465 sqm to 150 sqm) and mandates that the buildings must have suitable road access.

How much can you build with Class Q"?

In 2024, the number of homes you can build under Class Q has increased. You can now build up to ten dwellings with a maximum floorspace of 150 sqm, and a maximum cumulative floorspace of 1000 sqm.

For example, you can create 10 dwellings of 100 sqm each (totalling 1000 sqm), or a mix of sizes, like 6 dwellings at 150 sqm and 1 at 100 sqm (totalling 1000 sqm).

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What to consider with Class Q opportunities

When preparing submissions under Class Q, there are a few key things to be aware of:

• The building/s to be converted were part of an agricultural unit on or before 24 July 2023, or if no longer part of one, not used for any non-agricultural purpose since that date.

• The proposed development does not include any dwelling houses that exceed 150m².

• The proposed development does not exceed more than ten dwellings.

• Class Q does not permit the complete demolition and rebuilding of agricultural buildings - only partial demolition.  

• Development needs to be within the existing footprint of the building.

• You cannot apply Class Q to each agricultural building, it is applied to each agricultural unit.

• You can however convert multiple buildings to achieve the maximum floorspace and welling limits.

• The Council will take into consideration the location and siting of the building e.g. is the building close to noisy and disruptive agricultural operations?

• Design is the most subjective of all the aspects the council can consider and it is important that proposals are adequately justified in terms of how they have been designed.

• The proposed dwellings meet national space standards.

• The existing building should already be in good enough shape to be converted into a dwelling.

• The dwellings must have suitable public road access.

• You can a add a 4 x 4 m single story rear extension if situated on hard standing which existed on 24th July 2023.

• You still must go through a process with the council called 'Prior Approval'.

Why is now a good time to be looking?

One of the key advantages of Class Q is that it allows the delivery of homes in the Green Belt.  Developing in the Green Belt is notoriously difficult, with tough planning hurdles to get over, particularly when agricultural buildings do not count as previously developed land. 

It also allows for homes to be built in more rural areas without having to demonstrate the sustainability of the site, i.e. access to shops and services or public transport. 

Class Q, therefore, provides a unique opportunity to deliver homes on sites which would struggle to gain planning through conventional means.

Is it Class Q?

Need some help identifying whether a proposed development meets the Class Q criteria? There's so many factors to consider it can be a bit of a headache. That's why we've created a simple checklist to follow that will help you see through legislation and move your pipeline forward. Head over to our guides section and download our Class Q checklist.

How to get started

Getting started is easy. With Searchland you can identify every building that could be suitable for a Class Q conversion. 

We also have the ability to get the official land owner's name and address so you can begin securing these sites. Not only that but you can also send letters from the platform too - if you’re interested in how to structure your landowner letters, we’ve covered that. 

To get started we’d recommend you jump on a demo with our onboarding team so they can help get you set up with some of our additional features.
TLDR: 

Agricultural to Residential. This PD right should be on your watch list because it takes buildings that are typically hard to gain permission due to their remote locations and gives them a viable route to planning. 

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