For Farm

You do not always need planning permission. It is not required for agricultural operations, or the use of existing buildings on agricultural land for agricultural purposes. It is also not required, generally speaking, for changes to the inside of buildings, or for small alterations to the outside (e.g. the installation of an alarm box).

Permitted development rights exist for erecting (on holdings of 5 hectares or more), extending or altering a building, and for excavations and engineering operations, which are reasonably necessary for the purposes of agriculture within the unit - though you may still require the local planning authority's approval for certain details of the development.

For most other types of development and change of use you will generally need to apply for planning permission.

In recognition of the particular circumstances faced by the agriculture industry, the government has published a special guide to planning for farmers. This sub-section consists of selected extracts from that document, which add to what is said elsewhere in this Guide section of the Planning Portal. If you wish to view the document in full, go to the link given on the right.

Many farmers need to start new, or expand existing, agricultural and non-agricultural enterprises. Well planned and managed, these enterprises can benefit farmers, and the communities in which they live. They can generate profitable alternative uses for land and buildings and create and maintain new jobs and services in the countryside. In its Rural White Paper, Our Countryside: the future, published in November 2000, the government explained how it would help farmers to diversify. This included measures to promote a flexible and consistent planning system that is supportive of well-conceived farm diversification proposals, particularly involving the re-use of existing buildings for business purposes.

If you are looking at opportunities to modernise, expand or diversify, it is important that you understand how planning regulations may affect your proposals and, where relevant, how to improve your chances of obtaining planning permission. If you are proposing a change of use of land or buildings from agricultural use, you will need to apply for planning permission. Planning permission, where required, is often also a prerequisite of obtaining grant funding for a project.