The Community Infrastructure Levy and what it means for self-builders and barn conversions
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a piece of legislation adopted by most UK councils affecting developments since 1st April 2016. It is an additional charge that applies to new-build homes, new floors in barn conversions and home extensions over 100m2. You can apply for self-build exemption if it will be your only home. What […]
Hemp, Lime and Timber Frame Prefabricated Panels
Hemp, lime and timber frame prefabricated panels are an exciting way of creating eco-homes. I recently visited a ecohouse (that doesn’t look ‘eco’) completed in August 2016 and built by Greencore construction and was given a guided tour by Julia Bennett and Ian Pritchett. Prefab or craft, can you have both? I wrote a book on […]
Barn use classes & ‘agricultural unit’ clarification
Barn use classes [2023 updated] What use class is a barn? What do all the different letters mean? Class Q is conversion of an agricultural barn to a dwelling house. Formerly known as Class MB and confusingly often also known as a Class C conversion (because it will become class C (domestic use) upon conversion […]
Barns Permitted Development clarifications
Barns Permitted Development [2023 updated] Barns permitted development – How big can I build a barn without planning permission in 2023? You can now create 3 large (more than 100m2) or 5 smaller dwellings (less than 100m2 each) or a mixture of both under Permitted Development. What is Class Q permitted development for a barn? […]
Barn Conversion into a Dwelling, a Guide following changes to permitted development rights
Do I need planning permission for a barn conversion? Permitted development rights have existed since 2014 for a barn conversion into a dwelling. But there are some limits and there may well be other reasons for which a planning application is necessary. These are listed below: No. of dwellings – this was restricted to maximum […]
Aspirational Vernacular
I recently completed a 6 month trip around the world looking at case studies that have used vernacular methods or technologies, incorporating them into sustainable housing design. This was partly instigated because of a fascination in the vernacular developed while at Oxford Brookes University and partly due to a huge frustration at the lack of […]
