How to find current status of a building?

dnet

I recently bought a barn which has no official previous use

The previous owner got residential planning permission but that has now passed

What status it has got now?

If the residential planning isn't taken up does it revert back to what it was previously?

Uxb

I'm not an expert by any means but are there not two issues here
Change of use permission - from an agricultural use to that of residential status
Grant of Planning permission.

dnet

I don't know how it was classified before. It's referred to as a barn but i don't know how it appeared officially

The residential planning was not acted upon. So permission would have to be applied for again

I plan on using it for business so i wonder if it is going agriculture>residential>business or agriculture>business

I fear the costs of going residential>business. But maybe the costs of agriculture>business are the same. By costs i mean planning permission which last time i checked cost around £350

Savvy_Sue

Best way to find out would be to phone the local council planning dept, they are usually very helpful.

planning_officer

All 'change of use' planning applications currently cost £385.


The use of the building for residential would only start once the permission has been implemented. So if the previous permission was never implemented, it has never ben residential and is still in agricultural use. It could be regarded as having a 'nil use' but that's not common and is far more likely to just be agricultural, given that it is described as a barn.


Re. Uxb above - 'change of use' IS a planning permission. If you want to convert a barn into a dwelling, you only need to submit one planning application - it covers the change of use and any building works that are set out on the plans.


Hope that helps!

Uxb

Interesting
There have been a couple of recent cases round me where the change of use planning application was dealt with quite separately from any subsequent planning application for building.

In the first case it was from a redundant derelict College building to be changed from commercial use to residential use.
The second was for a redundant hotel (c1) to be changed to again residential use (c3)

In the first case it was a long time (years) before the derelict buildings were actually knocked down and a subsequent planning application put in for the empty areas to be replaced with residential properties.
Indeed I'm sure they were sold in the meantime.
My guess is that the change to use was done as a standalone item to make the site more valuable as a sale item as it now came with residential use on it rather than commercial use.

The second example above is mid way though following the same pattern.

From an historical perspective what you seem to be saying is that the change to use actually only became valid when the subsequent planning permission to build the houses was granted.

Aquamania

dnet wrote: »

I recently bought a barn which has no official previous use

The previous owner got residential planning permission but that has now passed

What status it has got now?

If the residential planning isn't taken up does it revert back to what it was previously?

Isn't this a question that you should have asked before splashing your cash?

Anyway, better late than never. Ask your solicitor to clarify details