Planning uses - find the use class for your property here, and information about changing to another use class

Planning Use

Description

A1 Shops

Shops, retail warehouses, hairdressers, undertakers, travel and ticket agencies, post offices (but not sorting offices), pet shops, sandwich bars, showrooms, domestic hire shops, dry cleaners, funeral directors and internet cafes.

A2 Financial and professional services

Financial services such as banks and building societies, professional services (other than health and medical services) including estate and employment agencies and betting offices.

A3 Restaurants and cafés

For the sale of food and drink for consumption on the premises - restaurants, snack bars and cafes.

A4 Drinking establishments

Public houses, wine bars or other drinking establishments (but not night clubs).

A5 Hot food takeaways

For the sale of hot food for consumption off the premises.

B1 Business

Offices (other than those that fall within A2), research and development of products and processes, light industry appropriate in a residential area.

B2 General industrial

Use for industrial process other than one falling within class B1 (excluding incineration purposes, chemical treatment or landfill or hazardous waste).

B8 Storage or distribution

This class includes open air storage.

C1 Hotels

Hotels, boarding and guest houses where no significant element of care is provided (excludes hostels).

C2 Residential institutions

Residential care homes, hospitals, nursing homes, boarding schools, residential colleges and training centres.

C2A Secure Residential Institution

Use for a provision of secure residential accommodation, including use as a prison, young offenders institution, detention centre, secure training centre, custody centre, short term holding centre, secure hospital, secure local authority accommodation or use as a military barracks.

C3 Dwellinghouses -this class is formed of 3 parts:

• C3(a) covers use by a single person or a family (a couple whether married or not, a person related to one another with members of the family of one of the couple to be treated as members of the family of the other), an employer and certain domestic employees (such as an au pair, nanny, nurse, governess, servant, chauffeur, gardener, secretary and personal assistant), a carer and the person receiving the care and a foster parent and foster child.
• C3(b): up to six people living together as a single household and receiving care e.g. supported housing schemes such as those for people with learning disabilities or mental health problems.
• C3(c) allows for groups of people (up to six) living together as a single household. This allows for those groupings that do not fall within the C4 HMO definition, but which fell within the previous C3 use class, to be provided for i.e. a small religious community may fall into this section as could a homeowner who is living with a lodger.

C4 Houses in multiple occupation

Small shared dwelling houses occupied by between three and six unrelated individuals, as their only or main residence, who share basic amenities such as a kitchen or bathroom.

D1 Non-residential institutions

Clinics, health centres, crèches, day nurseries, day centres, schools, art galleries (other than for sale or hire), museums, libraries, halls, places of worship, church halls, law court. Non residential education and training centres.

D2 Assembly and leisure

Cinemas, music and concert halls, bingo and dance halls (but not night clubs), swimming baths, skating rinks, gymnasiums or area for indoor or outdoor sports and recreations (except for motor sports, or where firearms are used).

Sui Generis

Certain uses do not fall within any use class and are considered 'sui generis'. Such uses include: theatres, houses in multiple occupation, hostels providing no significant element of care, scrap yards. Petrol filling stations and shops selling and/or displaying motor vehicles. Retail warehouse clubs, nightclubs, launderettes, taxi businesses, amusement centres and casinos.

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Permitted change (without planning permission) to:

A2 (professional and financial services) when premises have a display window at ground level

A1 (shop)

A3 (restaurants and cafes)

A1 or A2

A4 (drinking establishments)

A1 or A2 or A3

A5 (hot food takeaways)

A1 or A2 or A3

B1 (business) (permission limited to change of use relating to not more than 235 square metres of floor space)

B8 (storage and distribution)

B2 (general industrial)

B1 (business)

B2 (general industrial) (permission limited to change of use relating to not more than 235 square metres of floor space))

B8 (storage and distribution)

B8 (storage and distribution) (permission limited to change of use relating to not more than 235 square metres of floor space)

B1 (business)

C4 (houses in multiple occupation)

C3 (dwellinghouses)

Casinos (sui generis)

D2 (assembly and leisure)