Permitted development homes could be uninhabitable
Insurer Zurich UK has warned that office-to-residential conversions introduced in 2013 must be done properly or they will be uninhabitable for the future. Housing does not need to meet building regulations where there is a ‘material change of use’. The report details the serious problems found. 89,500 homes have been developed from commercial buildings and the lifting of a size cap on office-to-residential conversions in March led to applications increasing by 20% in England in a year.
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National Planning Policy Framework consultation response
We've responded to the December 2025 NPPF consultation, which closed yesterday. This substantial piece of work, contributed to by many subject matter ...
Chief Planning Officer’s newsletter
A recent newsletter by Chief Planner, Joanna Averley, in MHCLG to local authorities’ planning officers is here. It includes:-
- New Plan-Making ...
Website search improvements
We've long had an effective search facility on the website for current news, Insights, events and other pages. Last week there was ...
Densifying the Suburbs – A presenter’s Insight
Our President, Ben Derbyshire, provides his Insights into our recent Densifying the Suburbs event.
I welcomed the invitation to speak at an [more…]
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