The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, as heavily amended in 2020, groups buildings and land into use classes based on their function. The principle is straightforward: if two uses fall within the same class, you can change between them without planning permission. If they fall into different classes, a material change of use has occurred — and in most cases that requires planning permission. Understanding use classes is fundamental to knowing whether you need permission for a change of use, whether a building can be converted, and what a property can lawfully be used for.
Class E is the most significant change from the 2020 reforms. It merged what were previously separate classes — retail (A1), restaurants and cafes (A3), offices (B1a), light industrial (B1c), and several others — into a single class. This means that within Class E, a shop can become an office, a cafe can become a gym, and a light industrial unit can become a retail unit — all without planning permission. Class E covers: retail and display of goods, restaurants and cafes, financial and professional services, indoor sports, health centres, creches, offices, research and development, and light industrial. The creation of Class E was intended to give high streets flexibility to adapt.
Class C3 is the standard dwelling house — a building used by a single household or up to six people living as a single household. Class C4 is a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) with between 3 and 6 unrelated occupants. The change from C3 to C4 is permitted development in most areas — but many councils have removed this right with Article 4 Directions. HMOs with 7 or more unrelated occupants are Sui Generis (outside any class) and always require planning permission. Class C1 is hotels and hostels. Class C2 is residential institutions such as care homes, hospitals, and schools with residential accommodation. Class C2A is secure residential institutions.
Class B2 is general industrial use — manufacturing, processing, and similar operations that are not light industrial. Class B8 is storage and distribution. These classes do not benefit from the flexibility of Class E. Converting a B2 industrial unit or B8 warehouse to residential use requires planning permission and is assessed against local housing policies — it will not be permitted development in most cases.
Class F1 covers learning and non-residential institutions — schools, training centres, libraries, museums, galleries, public halls, places of worship, and law courts. Class F2 covers local community uses — local shops under 280 square metres, community halls, outdoor sport and recreation, and swimming pools. These uses are protected from the flexibility of Class E to preserve local community facilities.
Some uses are defined as Sui Generis — meaning they sit outside any use class entirely. Any change to or from a Sui Generis use requires planning permission. Sui Generis uses include petrol stations, car showrooms, nightclubs, theatres, betting shops, payday loan shops, casinos, large HMOs (7+ occupants), hostels, and scrap yards. The list is specific — if a use is not in any class, assume it is Sui Generis.
The lawful use of a building is defined by its planning history — not its current use. A building that has been used as a shop for 30 years but was originally permitted as an office may not lawfully be a Class E use. And a change of use that happened without permission, or a permitted development change that was relied on but does not actually apply, leaves the building in an uncertain position. We retrieve the complete planning history including all use class changes and relevant decisions for any UK property.
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