General Permitted Development Order

In August 2010, DCLG published a document titled Permitted development rights for householders: technical guidance, which provides advice about how to interpret Part 1.The current version of this document is titled Application to determine if prior approval is required for a proposed: Larger Home Extension.In the above "Permitted development rights for householders: technical guidance" document, the 8 classes of Schedule 2 Part 1 are described as follows: For the above legislation, public consultations were undertaken from 21 May 2007 to 17 August 2007,[21] from 12 November 2012 to 24 December 2012,[22] from 31 July 2014 to 26 September 2014,[23] and from 29 October 2018 to 14 January 2019.In July 2013, the Welsh Government published a document titled "Technical Guidance: Permitted development for householders",[25] which provides advice about how to interpret Part 1.[35] On 25 May 2019 Housing Minister Kit Malthouse MP announced that temporary changes to Permitted Development Rights, in place since 2012 and due to expire on 30 May 2019, would become permanent.After this date, local planning authorities would need to reinstate an Article 4 Direction to resist the conversion of commercial properties to residential use.[39] In August 2021, the Government introduced a powerful new Permitted Development Right which allows the change of use of commercial properties within Use Class E to residential uses, without the need for full planning permission, subject to complying with some limitations and criteria.[40] The intention of this Permitted Development Right is twofold; to provide some much needed housing on brownfield sites: and to revive England's high streets by bringing vacant units back into use.[43] "Clarkson's clause" was an amendment by the government in 2024 to expand the rights of farmers to change buildings from agricultural use to "flexible commercial" or residential use without planning permission.[44] Critics of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) have raised several concerns regarding its impact on local communities, the environment, and architectural heritage.One of the main critiques is that the GPDO allows certain developments to bypass the usual planning permission processes, which can result in negative outcomes for the character and quality of local areas.The lack of full planning review means that important local characteristics, such as traditional facades, street layouts, and architectural styles, might be compromised for the sake of expedience or economic development.[48] The general argument is that while the GPDO streamlines processes and aids economic development, it should not come at the cost of the long-term sustainability and integrity of local areas, particularly in terms of environmental and cultural preservation.