Planning Restrictions on Barn Conversions Part 1

Planning restrictions on barn conversions can be stringent. This will depend, either on the historical importance of the building or the location of the site.

Barns located on protected land

If a barn is located within protected land such as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), National Park or Conservation Area, more stringent planning restrictions are in place on conversion.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

There are 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) within the United Kingdom.

National Parks

There are 15 National Parks within the United Kingdom. 10 in England, 3 in Wales and 2 in Scotland. By their agricultural nature it is not uncommon to find barns within these parks.

If the building itself is protected due to its significance:

Listed Buildings

Listed buildings fall into two main categories, local and national Listings. It is a criminal offence to undertake unauthorised works to or to damage a nationally Listed Building.

Listed Building Grades

In England and Wales, nationally Listed buildings fall into three grades.

Grade I – Buildings of exceptional interest. Only around 2.5% of Listed buildings.
Grade II* – Particularly important buildings. Applies to around 5.8% of Listed buildings.
Grade II – Are of special interest and amounts to around 91% of Listed buildings. The most likely grade.

In Scotland the grading system is designated A, B and C.

The Historic England website is a valuable resource relating to Listed buildings and The National Heritage List for England holds the database of all Listed buildings in England.

Listed barns can fall into any of the categories, but those deemed suitable for conversion into dwellings will generally be Grade II. Grade I Listed barns exist, such as the Great Coxwell barn in Oxfordshire, which was donated to the National Trust. These buildings are rightly kept in agricultural condition for their cultural and historic value.

Locally Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas

Locally Listing may apply to a building or structure that have been recognised by the local authority as having particular bearing within the area, but are not significant enough for a national Listing. Typical criteria for locally Listed status are structures that have:

Historical importance within an area.
Community significance.
Technical significance.
Architectural or artistic significance.
Archaeological interest.
A landmark with historical or communal associations.
Rarity value.

The structures might be a recognised landmark that reinforces the character of a Conservation area, for example.

Class Q Permitted Development does not apply to Listed Buildings or those on protected land

If none of the above planning restrictions apply, then you will might find the local planning policy is supportive of barn conversions.

You will probably also find that your Permitted Development rights apply, specifically Class Q of Permitted Development for barn conversion works. I shall write more information about Class Q in part 2 of this post.

Remember, Class Q does not apply to Listed buildings or those on protected land. It is therefore best to check whether there are any restrictions with the planning authority initially.

If you are considering undertaking works for the conversion of a barn, whether additional protections apply or not, researching your site is essential.

Most local authorities and National Parks have produced design guides and Historic England also has a wealth of information available.