Commercial property turn into residential with no planning permission needed.

harryhound

Cleaver wrote: »

Indeed. The main issue for Liverpool, unfortunately, is that it's a city which is far too big for the amount of people who live there. In the early part of the twentieth century when Liverpool was a very rich and important city I'm sure they had nearly a million people living there and all the buildings, houses and infrastructure to match. They had so much money they could afford to build and build and build.

Today the city only has around 400,000 people and therefore you have lots of empty residential buildings as the city simply doesn't 'need' the amount of people living there that it used to need. Sad really, but the shipping industry is never going to be what it was. I guess you could blame the Manchester Ship Canal and the invention of trains, planes and automobiles.

I got a job that involved me shipping cargo from central USA to a town outside Manchester for reprocessing and distribution throughout Europe.
Liverpool was already suffering as Britain's major trading market became Europe (ie joining Common Market etc.).
Liverpool docks was a nightmare - strikes - no news for days on end - difficult customs and excise (the so called Bar side clearance - you had to find the right bar in which to get the paperwork signed off).
Dock side warehouses used as storage because the shareholders of the docks were local merchants. Strange break bulk charges on what should have been "house to house" container deliveries.

I switched the whole business to Felixstowe - everything done in one place Trelawney House - banking - customs clearance agent all under one roof. Delivery to Manchester of 40' container within 48 hours of vessel docking for a delivery charge of 15 quid plus a fiver for doing the paperwork (circa 1972). More to the point I could get a Telex from USA saying the truck had just left and I tell the reprocessing plant to the day when the delivery would arrive.
No more emergency shipments via Manchester Airport at vast expense in time and money.

Liverpool docks was dead in the water and went bust.

Cleaver

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

Almost certainly worth it in parts of central London, though. Office space tends to be significantly cheaper than residential.

But surely that's because it currently can't be turned into residential?

Let's say I have an office block up for sale for £2m. This new law may mean that I add 50% on to the price because I want a slice of the profit.

neverdespairgirl

Well, it can. Sometimes. Depending on exactly where it is, what class use it is at the moment, etc.

StevieJ

Cleaver wrote: »

How come throughout the 2000s, when new build flats and warehouse conversions were flying up quicker than you could say "homes under the hammer", houses prices still got higher and higher and higher?

I suppose some of those warehouses are not just commercial properties they are historic buildings and could be very desirable in the future.

74tnemele

So how many residential properties will be foolding the market next few years? How much will this put more downwards presure on house prices?

Jazzshed

74tnemele wrote: »

So how many residential properties will be foolding the market next few years? How much will this put more downwards presure on house prices?

The official figures are 250000 more homes in England alone.

Time will tell how many commercial places get turned into flats and houses.

buglawton

There is a half empty light industrial park (quite nice looking/modern) near me, in the centre of prime residential area, walkable to rail station. Wonder how long before some of it becomes housing?

buglawton

Even if officially announced, people will have to win cases at the Planning hearings or go to court to establish that anything really has changed. So it goes in hidebound Blighty.

neverdespairgirl

buglawton wrote: »

Even if officially announced, people will have to win cases at the Planning hearings or go to court to establish that anything really has changed. So it goes in hidebound Blighty.

Yer wha'? that makes little sense

buglawton

Even if it were officially announced that the laws has changed and planning permission to convert commecial property to residential is supposed to become a simple matter....

People will STILL need to go to court at their own expense to fight the case to get such permission.

Because local authorities won't want to change their ways. So it goes in hidebound Blighty.