Barn to Workshop Conversion

[Chazaxl]

You let the professional who is working on your behalf talk to them about replacing the building. The thing is, many if not most councils no longer offer informal advice. Most now offer a pre-application advice service for a fee....a very substantial fee... and for this you will need drawings. Your best bet is to find someone to do your design, and bounce this backwards and forwards with him/ her. Then you go to the council (for a pre-App if they won't do it informally) and say "this is the sort of thing we are after, what do you think?"

By the way, a barn is a specific thing, not just any generic agricultural outbuilding, and this isn't a barn.

Thanks. Ive got an architect lined up to look at the loft and he is aware of the 'barn'. Any suggestion as to what this should be called then instead?

The loft should be under permitted development but will need Building Control. The 'barn' is probably the most interesting of the two.

 

[AJB Temple]

You have an architect - so ask him. Really, if he is local, he will know exactly what the planners want.

If what you want is a space for a hobbyist workshop, that will be very quiet, and a space to store your mower, all your gardening stuff and your private gym gear, and extensive supplies of timber for your hobby then say that.

Do not be vague. If you are not intending it to be a commercial space, then don't say anything that can be misinterpreted. Keep your neighbours on side, so I suggest being as low key as you can. Make sure you can justify keeping the footprint.

Your architect, if you have chosen wisely, will know which route to take to maximise success.

The reason I suggested cracking on with consent now, is if you are pretty certain the purchase will go ahead, there is no sense in wasting time. I used to be a property developer and we would commonly go for consent on sites we were reasonably or very certain of getting. (Like I had a call option or knew the seller very well and we had a private deal).

If the farm is still operational, make friends with the farmer. Farmers have lots of flexibility on what they can erect. They can also rent out land which means your need for a bit of dry hay storage might be essential.

 

[Chazaxl]

You have an architect - so ask him. Really, if he is local, he will know exactly what the planners want.

If what you want is a space for a hobbyist workshop, that will be very quiet, and a space to store your mower, all your gardening stuff and your private gym gear, and extensive supplies of timber for your hobby then say that.

Do not be vague. If you are not intending it to be a commercial space, then don't say anything that can be misinterpreted. Keep your neighbours on side, so I suggest being as low key as you can. Make sure you can justify keeping the footprint.

Your architect, if you have chosen wisely, will know which route to take to maximise success.

The reason I suggested cracking on with consent now, is if you are pretty certain the purchase will go ahead, there is no sense in wasting time. I used to be a property developer and we would commonly go for consent on sites we were reasonably or very certain of getting. (Like I had a call option or knew the seller very well and we had a private deal).

If the farm is still operational, make friends with the farmer. Farmers have lots of flexibility on what they can erect. They can also rent out land which means your need for a bit of dry hay storage might be essential.

Thanks. I think the main farm is long gone now - one of the houses is called 'something farm'. Not sure how friendly they will be, they tried to block access to the current owners using their private road however there is covenant in the house ownership that allows right of way.

That said, we complete in 9 days if all goes to plan, will see after that - just getting some ideas as I can now.

 

[MikeG.]

In addition to what Adrian just said...a curious aside, if you like.......you can apply for planning permission for any property you like. You could apply to put an extension on Buckingham Palace if you wanted. You'd be wasting your money and the council's time, but them's the rules.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

By the way, a barn is a specific thing, not just any generic agricultural outbuilding, and this isn't a barn.

Indeed. My cousin gets quite irate when I call his "converted barn" a "converted byre".

 

[Chazaxl]

So, will call this either a garage / workshop but entirely for hobby (non commercial) use.

 

[TomGW]

If the building has been existing for more than 4 years, and there is evidence to establish this, you should seek a Certificate of Lawfulness. This will confer a legal planning position for the existing building, which will then provide you with a firm basis for an application to convert/improve/alter/replace.
As far as the evidence needed is concerned, it does not need to be 'beyond all reasonable doubt' but is on 'the balance of probability'. Provide as much evidence as possible which will then be 'taken in the round'. In my experience, Google Street View can provide dated evidence of the existence of buildings and aerial photographs from Ordnance Survey is another good source.
Good luck with your new home and project.

 

[Chazaxl]

If the building has been existing for more than 4 years, and there is evidence to establish this, you should seek a Certificate of Lawfulness. This will confer a legal planning position for the existing building, which will then provide you with a firm basis for an application to convert/improve/alter/replace.
As far as the evidence needed is concerned, it does not need to be 'beyond all reasonable doubt' but is on 'the balance of probability'. Provide as much evidence as possible which will then be 'taken in the round'. In my experience, Google Street View can provide dated evidence of the existence of buildings and aerial photographs from Ordnance Survey is another good source.
Good luck with your new home and project.

Thanks. Sadly this is adjacent to a private road (both sides actually) so no street view however there will be overhead shots - Ill try and see what I Can find there.

 

[Chazaxl]

Just looked on streetview - you can just seen the side of the 'barn' - dating to July 2009, that will be helpful. Not quite 12 years but not far off ....

 

[Blackswanwood]

Just looked on streetview - you can just seen the side of the 'barn' - dating to July 2009, that will be helpful. Not quite 12 years but not far off ....

I don’t think you need twelve years - it seems to be ten years that is required.

https://ecab.planningportal.co.uk/uploa ... icates.pdf

 

[MikeG.]

It can be four years. As I said, it's somewhat complicated.

 

[Chazaxl]

Just looked on streetview - you can just seen the side of the 'barn' - dating to July 2009, that will be helpful. Not quite 12 years but not far off ....

I don’t think you need twelve years - it seems to be ten years that is required.

https://ecab.planningportal.co.uk/uploa ... icates.pdf

Thanks.

 

[Chazaxl]

We exchanged on the property yesterday, it almost didn't happen but that's an 'over a beer' story.

We complete on the 1st and will have the architect and builder there to help make some decisions.

 

[Sheptonphil]

We exchanged on the property yesterday, it almost didn't happen but that's an 'over a beer' story.

We complete on the 1st and will have the architect and builder there to help make some decisions.

Congratulations, now you can really start making plans.

 

[Yojevol]

When I decided to put a new workshop up in my garden, it was designed basically as a 4 car garage (thinking of future owners) but I declared that it would be used as a woodworking workshop. The planners immediately guessed that noisy machines would be a feature. For that reason they put a restriction on my use of the my 'noisy machines' between 8pm and 8am and all day on Sundays :?
That's why, of course, I'm here on my quiet PC on this Sunday morning!
Brian

 

[Chazaxl]

We exchanged on the property yesterday, it almost didn't happen but that's an 'over a beer' story.

We complete on the 1st and will have the architect and builder there to help make some decisions.

Congratulations, now you can really start making plans.

Indeed. Thanks.

 

[Chazaxl]

When I decided to put a new workshop up in my garden, it was designed basically as a 4 car garage (thinking of future owners) but I declared that it would be used as a woodworking workshop. The planners immediately guessed that noisy machines would be a feature. For that reason they put a restriction on my use of the my 'noisy machines' between 8pm and 8am and all day on Sundays :?
That's why, of course, I'm here on my quiet PC on this Sunday morning!
Brian

How would that actually be enforced?

 

[Chazaxl]

Update time.

So we have started to do the 1st half of the floor. C30 concrete will be poured tomorrow which will allow me to move machines into the 40% which will be sorted and then we can do the strengthening and remainder of the floor later.

I also received a quote from SSE for 3 Phase upgrade to 50 KVA (well, 47 KVA unless I want to also fund a transformer upgrade). Total cost of £4600 ish.

Higher than I had hoped but not as high as I've heard others receiving. I'm looking at ICPs that can do this work too. SSE charging £1200 to basically lay 15 meters of cable in a trench I need to dig (oh, and clamp a cable to a pole) is a tad rich.

Any suggestions on suitable ICPs that might be worth approaching?