New planning rules mean high street shops can change to houses

These new rules are expected to be in place by September this year and include regulation changes such as:

• A wider range of commercial buildings will be allowed to change to residential use without the need for a planning application
• Builders will no longer need a normal planning application to demolish and rebuild vacant and redundant residential and commercial buildings if they are rebuilt as homes
• Property owners will be able to build additional space above their properties via a fast-track approval process, subject to neighbour consultation

These announcements have caused much discussion in the industry with many architects and planners feeling the changes could have a negative impact on the high street owing to the potential loss of retail space in town centres.

Do you need planning advice or are you looking to convert or repurpose a redundant building?

Contact our Planning team today on 01228 900949 or email info@prospus.co.uk.