Written question asked by Neil Coyle (Labour) on Monday, 4 March 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 6 March 2019. It was answered by Kit Malthouse (Conservative) on Monday, 11 March 2019 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Change of Use

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of effect on local authority finances of conversion of office space to residential units under permitted development.

Answer: The national permitted development rights for change of use are making a valuable contribution to housing delivery. In the three years to March 2018, 46,000 homes were delivered under the rights, including 42,000 from office to residential. The prior approval process provides a streamlined planning process, and this is reflected in the fee. To support local planning authorities planning fees were increased by 20 per cent in 2018. This increase was ring fenced to ensure the funding benefited planning services directly. We continue to keep resourcing under review.

Secondary information