The Luscombe Maye Rural Planning Department, based in the Totnes office, consider themselves “very lucky” helping farmers, landowners and property owners to fulfil their dreams and to achieve their business aspirations. The Rural Planning Department is privileged to work with a large range of people who maybe wish to gain planning permission for a new home, for a new agricultural building to start up or expand an agricultural business, perhaps erect a block of stables so that they can buy their dream horse/pony or perhaps a new business adventure such as providing holiday accommodation – whether it be in a barn, a yurt, a shepherds hut or a bell tent. There are then various business opportunities, such as changing the use of a building to a business/commercial use to provide a rental income.
Lots of farmers and landowners have made use of the Class Q Permitted Development Rights opportunities allowing all types of agricultural buildings to be converted into dwellings. Unfortunately, barns within either the National Park or within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are not eligible for Class Q but there is still a large amount of land outside these areas that is eligible. The barn/building must meet very strict criteria to gain approval under the Permitted Development Rights including being structurally sound and being capable of conversion. Whilst the Class Q approval is loved by some, others do not consider that placing windows in an agricultural building is particularly inspiring from an architectural point of view but there is a further opportunity that would make most people’s creative juices flow – the Mansell case ………
The Mansell case confirmed that once the Class Q approval has been gained for the conversion of an agricultural building into a dwelling, this can be considered a fall-back position and therefore an application can be made to replace the Class Q building with an architecturally-designed new build, as long as it can be shown that it provides enhancement to the site, landscape etc. and betterment in terms of design, scale, energy-efficiency etc.
We are lucky to work with a great team of architects throughout South Devon and to have gained several Mansell case consents to replace Class Q buildings.
The moral of the story, therefore, is if you have an agricultural building but cannot imagine it looking very good as a conversion, then maybe it doesn’t and a Mansell case application is the answer.
Across our 7 estate agency offices across South Devon, many prospective purchasers want to buy a plot on which to build their dream home. Whilst buildings plots are few and far between, Class Q does give a similar opportunity and frequently the sites for Class Q buildings, in a countryside location, often with far reaching views, really do provide a dream come true scenario.
Whilst most Local Planning Authorities that we work with – including South Hams District Council, Teignbridge District Council, West Devon Borough Council and Mid Devon District Council – are looking at Mansell case applications positively, the only query is the subjectivity involved in deciding what is enhancement and betterment. Whilst, with our professional judgement and from experience with such cases, we can give good guidance on this, sometimes you just need to have a go and much more often than not, the allocated Planning Officer will see the benefit of your application and give approval.
So, if you see an agricultural barn with Class Q consent advertised and you are a prospective purchaser looking for a dream house, don’t just dismiss it. Similarly, if you have an agricultural barn on your farm/holding, don’t dismiss that either!
