News Release

By The Department for Communities and Local Government Planning Service - July 2009

Planning Permitted Development Rights for Commercial Buildings and Operations

This is real news.  No, I mean it - this is REAL new news.  Commercial buildings & operations enjoy very little PD rights - perhaps non at all in most cases.

Therefore Planning applications for even the simplest of alteration or new element will nearly always be required.

This is seen as potentially thwarting growth & expansion of our much needed small businesses who are the power house of generating employment & tax raising revenues for the greater good (well within the south east anyway).

Reducing the number of low level Planning applications has been on the Governments Agenda for years - and who could blame them.

By allowing commercial premises and operations a degree of change of business premises without requiring formal Planning Permission will be a blessing to most business I am sure.

However, if the same legislators are let lose on this piece of red tape busting freedom as on the domestic PD re-write then God help us all.

Here is an extract from the consultation paper...

The Killian Pretty Review highlighted how obtaining planning permission for some minor non-domestic development can place burdens on business out of proportion with potential impacts. The Government’s response to the Killian Pretty Review acknowledged that reducing the burden of the planning system on applicants has taken on a new imperative in the current economic climate, and placed an early priority on reducing the need for planning permission for some small scale development by businesses.

Alongside the Government’s response to the Killian Pretty Review, we published a report of proposals by WYG Planning and Design (WYG) for extending permitted development rights to non-domestic concerns. WYG proposed changes in relation to a wide range of non-domestic uses including shops, offices, institutions, agriculture, and waste management. We have at this stage given priority to consulting upon the changes that would remove the greatest number of planning applications from the system and which would offer most benefit to business.

Given that the Government’s general policy is reducing the burden of the planning system where appropriate on users, the burden of making Article 4 Directions on LPAs should also be minimised. We are therefore proposing changes to the process by which Article 4 Directions are made.

Download the whole consultation document for the coming PD for commercial buildings (Word doc)...

  consultation document for improving permitted development for commercial buildings and operations