What Class Q is
Class Q sits in Schedule 2, Part 3 of the General Permitted Development Order. It allows a change of use from an agricultural building to homes, and the building work reasonably necessary to make that possible, provided the scheme meets the rules and the council grants prior approval.
Source: GPDO Schedule 2 Part 3 Class Q, as amended from 21 May 2024 (legislation.gov.uk)
The limits since May 2024
| Rule | Limit |
|---|---|
| Number of homes | Up to 10 per agricultural unit |
| Total floorspace | No more than 1,000 square metres of homes in total |
| Single home | No more than 150 square metres |
| Extension | A single-storey rear extension of up to 4 metres in some cases, on existing hard surfacing |
| Completion | Work must be finished within three years of prior approval |
What the council can consider
Prior approval isn't a full planning application. The council can only consider set matters, such as transport, noise, contamination, flooding, whether the location makes the change impractical or undesirable, the design and appearance of the building, and natural light to the new rooms.
What rules a barn out
- Protected areas: ‘article 2(3) land’, including National Parks such as the New Forest, National Landscapes (formerly AONBs) such as Cranborne Chase and Dorset, and conservation areas.
- Listed buildings, scheduled monuments and SSSIs.
- Agricultural history: the site must have been part of an established agricultural unit on 24 July 2023, or for 10 years before work starts.
- Structural condition: the works must amount to a conversion, not a rebuild.
Locally, new homes from a Class Q conversion can still need heathland mitigation or nutrient neutrality measures, depending on where the barn is. These are checked as part of the process.
If Class Q doesn't apply
A barn outside Class Q isn't necessarily a dead end. A full planning application for conversion, or a replacement building, may still be possible, judged against the local plan. Inside the New Forest National Park, that decision is made by the National Park Authority under its own local plan.
Source: New Forest National Park Local Plan (New Forest National Park Authority)
Selling a barn with potential
You can sell a barn as it is, with prior approval already in place, or subject to an approval being granted. If you already have prior approval, check the date: the conversion must be completed within three years, so a buyer will want to know how much time is left.
The prior approval process, step by step
- Check eligibility: location (not article 2(3) land), agricultural use history, listing, and whether the building can be converted rather than rebuilt.
- Survey the building: a structural report showing it can take the conversion.
- Design the homes within the size and number limits.
- Submit the prior approval application with plans and the information the council needs on transport, noise, contamination, flooding, location, design and light.
- Decision: the council has 56 days to decide.
- Build: the conversion must be completed within three years of the prior approval date.
The 56-day period is set by the General Permitted Development Order. If the council misses it without agreeing an extension, the rules on what happens are technical, so take advice before relying on it.
Source: GPDO Schedule 2 Part 3 Class Q, as amended from 21 May 2024 (legislation.gov.uk)
What makes a barn worth more
- Good access to a road, without crossing third-party land.
- A sound structure that clearly can be converted.
- Size within the limits, so the scheme doesn't need cutting down.
- A setting that works for homes: not hemmed in by working farm buildings or noisy uses.
- Prior approval already in place, with plenty of the three-year window left.
Even with prior approval, local rules can still apply to new homes, such as heathland or nutrient mitigation depending on where the barn is. A buyer will factor them in.
Barns in protected landscapes
Much of rural Dorset and Hampshire sits in protected landscapes where Class Q doesn't apply: the New Forest National Park, and National Landscapes (formerly AONBs) such as Cranborne Chase and Dorset. Conservation areas are excluded too. That doesn't mean a barn there can never become a home, but it does mean the route is a full planning application, judged against the local plan.
In the New Forest National Park, the National Park Authority decides applications under its own local plan, which has its own policies on rural buildings and new homes. Elsewhere in Dorset and Hampshire, the district or unitary council decides.
Source: New Forest National Park Local Plan (New Forest National Park Authority)
Selling a barn: your options
| Option | Best when |
|---|---|
| Sell as it is | You want a quick, clean sale and the buyer takes the planning risk |
| Sell subject to prior approval | Class Q clearly applies; a higher price once approval is granted |
| Get prior approval, then sell | You're happy to manage the application and want the widest market |
| Sell with prior approval already granted | Check how much of the three-year window is left |
Whichever you choose, a structural survey and photos of the building help any buyer give you a firmer answer. Send them to us with the location and we'll tell you whether Class Q is likely to apply and what we'd pay.
What to do next
Send us the location and a few photos of the building and we'll tell you whether Class Q is likely to apply and what we'd pay. Read about Class Q and barn conversions and our land and planning guide.
