Change Of Use

I have seen a beautiful Victorian house on the market and I would love to buy it. Recently it has been used for offices, although it's unoccupied at the moment. Is there any reason why I can't convert it back to a family home?

You may need to apply to the local authority for a change of use planning permission in respect of the Victorian house if you wish to change the use from offices (B1(a) use) to residential (C3 use) . A change of use requires planning permission if the change will constitute a material change of use. There is no statutory definition of material change of use which is based on a matter of fact and degree and is determined on individual merits of a case.

Generally when you change the use of a property from one class of use to another, you will need to make an application for planning permission, but there are exceptions. As offices are classed as B1(a) and residential properties are classed as C3, there is a change of classed use. But there are exceptions.

This may fall into the exceptions. You may not require planning permissions but you will have to get prior approval from the local authority for the conversion back to a family home. The factors the...