Your Barn Could Be a House. The Rules Have Changed.
But the application has to be prepared correctly. Many aren't.
Find out more about how Class Q works and the other routes to barn conversion planning permission.
Tell us about your barn.
Leave your number and email. We will contact you to run through whether it qualifies, at no charge.
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How It Works
Book a consultation
Tell us what you've got: building type, size, farming history and what you want to achieve. No charge for the initial conversation.
We assess the route
We tell you whether Class Q is viable, where the structural and policy risks sit, and what the application needs to succeed.
We submit and manage
We write the planning statement, manage the council from submission to decision, and get it over the line. Submitted within 28 days of instruction.
What Class Q allows on your farm
Class Q of Part 3, Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 permits the change of use of an agricultural building to a dwelling house, together with associated building operations. Since the May 2024 amendments, the scope of this right has expanded substantially.
On a single agricultural unit, Class Q now allows up to 10 dwellings, with a total floor space cap of 1,000 sq.m across all units. No individual dwelling can exceed 150 sq.m. A single storey rear extension of up to 4 metres is also permitted, but only on hardstanding that was lawfully in place on or before 24 July 2023, or that has been in place for at least 10 years.
The most important change: former agricultural buildings now qualify
The single most significant change brought by the May 2024 amendments was the extension of Class Q to former agricultural buildings: those that were once part of an established agricultural unit but are no longer part of it.
Before May 2024, the site had to be in agricultural use as part of an established agricultural unit, judged on 20 March 2013 or when it was last in use. Now a building that has left the unit can also qualify, provided the site was part of an established agricultural unit on 24 July 2023 and has not been used for any purpose other than agriculture since it left.
If you have an isolated redundant barn that has sat empty for years, it may now have residential development potential that it did not have before May 2024.
Where Class Q applications fail
One of the most common grounds for refusal is the structural test. Prior approval can be refused if the proposed works would amount to a rebuild of the existing structure rather than a genuine conversion. Planning authorities across England regularly refuse Class Q applications on this basis.
The other common failure points are: the 10 year rule, where a new agricultural building or extension under Part 6 Class A(a) or B(a) has been built on the unit in the 10 years before the Class Q development begins; Article 2(3) land, including National Parks, National Landscapes (formerly AONBs) and conservation areas; listed buildings; no suitable existing access to a public highway; and applications where the site's history as part of an established agricultural unit cannot be evidenced.
Foxes Rural identifies all of these before the application is submitted. We do not prepare an application we do not believe will succeed.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my barn qualifies?
The key tests are: the site was part of an established agricultural unit on 24 July 2023; the building is structurally capable of conversion without rebuilding; no Part 6 new build on the unit in the 10 years before conversion starts; the building is not listed; it is not in a National Park, National Landscape or conservation area; it has suitable existing access to a public highway; and, for a former agricultural building, it has not been used for anything other than agriculture since leaving the unit. We run through all of these at the initial consultation.
Can I convert more than one building on my farm?
Yes. The cap applies to the agricultural unit as a whole: up to 10 dwellings and 1,000 sq.m in total. Multiple buildings can be included in one application or in successive applications on the same unit, provided the cumulative totals stay within the caps.
How long does a Class Q application take?
Prior approval applications under Class Q have a statutory 56 day determination period, which the council can extend with your agreement. We guarantee to submit the application within 28 days of instruction.
What does it cost?
We give a fixed fee after the initial consultation. No hourly creep. Class Q fees vary depending on the number of buildings, the structural condition, and the likely prior approval criteria at that authority.
Find out if your barn qualifies.
We take on a limited number of new instructions each month. If you have a barn you want to convert and you want to know whether Class Q gives you a route to residential use, get in touch. The initial conversation is at no charge. Call 01206 481981.
