FARMERS could gain more flexibility to convert agricultural buildings to residential use if changes to the permitted development regime are adopted.

This comes in the most recent Landscope publication, from Savills.

The plans include allowing more dwellings and extensions plus extending the basic rights to AONBs and National Parks for the first time too. Larger agricultural buildings could also be constructed without requiring planning permission, and separately Defra is offering grants of up to £500,000 to help fund construction of higher welfare calf housing, potentially with solar PV fitted.

READ MORE: Opportunity to own your own island in the Inner Hebrides

The importance of tax reliefs in our industry is frequently discussed, although with over 1000 in the UK tax code this is not unique to agriculture. The House of Commons Treasury Committee has just published its review of tax reliefs. Its headline conclusion is the system is too complicated so it calls for reliefs to be periodically reviewed and the impact on behaviour and true costs to be better understood.

A consultation on agricultural permitted development rights was launched as part of the government’s long-term plan for housing on July 24. Under current rules Class Q Part 3 within the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 allows agricultural buildings to be changed to residential use subject to restrictions on the size and number of dwellings. The proposed changes are intended to provide some additional flexibility and include:

• Removing the existing limitations on smaller and larger homes, and instead introducing a single maximum floorspace limit of either 100 or 150 square metres per home

• Increasing the maximum number of homes that can be delivered on an agricultural unit from five to 10

• Introducing an overall maximum of 1,000 square metre of floorspace changing use - this would include all Class Q conversions on the unit to date

• Allowing a single-story rear extension of up to four metres in depth, provided the land was a hard surface (e.g. concrete yard) prior to the publication of the consultation

• Allowing use of Class Q rights (but not the rear extension element) in AONBs and National Parks

• Allowing the rights to be used for agricultural buildings that are no longer part of an agricultural unit.

READ MORE: New head office for Galbraith at heart of sustainability

The consultation explores whether the principle of Class Q conversions and also Class R Part 3 - which allows conversion to a flexible commercial use - should both be expanded to cover other rural buildings too, such as those currently in forestry and equestrian uses. It also proposes allowing conversions and curtilage land to be used for outdoor sports, recreation or fitness uses and for general industrial use provided it is to process produce from the farm for sale on site. Permitted development rights are also available to help farmers build new farm buildings - revisions proposed here include increasing the ground area allowed under Class A Part 6 from 1,000 square metres to 1,500 square metres. The consultation runs until September 25.