Following the launch of our new platform and the latest (v3) version of our data standard last year, we are now updating all but one of our questions that refer to Use Classes to ensure the options provided match current legislation. We plan to implement this update on 9 February.

Note that we encountered an issue when updating our ‘Non-Residential Floorspace’ question. It will be updated separately in a future release to ensure that this is resolved.

Updated Use Classes

Use Classes options removed

• A1 – Shops
• A2 – Financial and professional services
• A3 – Restaurants and cafes
• A4 – Drinking establishments
• A5 – Hot food takeaways
• B1 (a) – Office (other than A2)
• B1 (b) – Research and development
• B1 (c) – Light industrial
• D1 – Non-residential institutions
• D2 – Assembly and leisure

Use Classes options added

• E – Commercial, Business and Service
• F1 – Learning and non-residential institutions
• F2 – Local community uses (essential shops, meeting places, sport, and recreation)

Use Classes options retained

• B2 – General industrial
• B8 – Storage or distribution
• C1 – Hotels
• C2 – Residential institutions
• C2A – Secure residential institutions
• C3 – Dwellinghouses (where relevant to specific question)
• C4 – Houses in multiple occupation
• Change of use (where relevant to specific question)
• Sui Generis (where relevant to specific question)
• Other (with requirement to provide details)

Affected question sets and application types:

Reason for Lawful Development Certificate

Application types

• 14 – Lawful development certificate – Existing use

Grounds for Application

Application types

• 15 – Lawful development certificate – Proposed use

Hours of Opening

Application types

• 4 – Full planning permission
• 5 – Outline planning permission: Some matters reserved
• 6 – Outline planning permission: All matters reserved
• 7 – Full planning & demolition in a conservation area
• 8 – Full planning & listed building consent
• 9 – Full planning & display of advertisements

Existing and proposed uses

Application types (in GLA area)

Note that some application types listed below (41, 43, 48, 49, 55) are now redundant due to the expiry of the permitted development right that required them. These can no longer be selected by users when creating applications, but older examples may still exist.

• 4 – Full planning permission
• 5 – Outline planning permission: Some matters reserved
• 6 – Outline planning permission: All matters reserved
• 7 – Full planning & demolition in a conservation area
• 8 – Full planning & listed building consent
• 9 – Full planning & display of advertisements
• 22 – Prior Approval: Demolition of building
• 23 – Approval of reserved matters
• 41 – Prior Approval: Change of use – retail/service/etc to restaurant/café
• 42 – Prior Approval: Change of use – takeaway/sui generis/mixed use to dwellinghouses
• 43 – Prior Approval: Change of use – retail/service/etc to assembly/leisure
• 44 – Prior Approval: Change of use – agriculture to dwellinghouses
• 45 – Prior Approval: Change of use – agriculture to flexible commercial use
• 46 – Prior Approval: Change of use – agriculture to state-funded school
• 47 – Prior Approval: Change of use – commercial/business/service/hotels/etc to state-funded school
• 48 – Prior Approval: Change of use – offices to dwellinghouses
• 49 – Prior Approval: Change of use – light industrial to dwellinghouses
• 50 – Prior Approval: Change of use – amusements/casinos to dwellinghouses
• 53 – Prior Approval: Temporary school on previously vacant commercial land
• 55 – Prior Approval: Change of use – retail/service/takeaway/etc to offices
• 56 – Prior Approval: New flats on top of detached blocks of flats
• 57 – Prior Approval: New flats on top of detached commercial buildings
• 58 – Prior Approval: New flats on top of terraced commercial buildings
• 59 – Prior Approval: New flats on top of terraced dwellinghouses
• 60 – Prior Approval: New flats on top of detached dwellinghouses
• 62 – Prior Approval: Demolish and replace with building used as dwellinghouses
• 63 – Prior Approval: Erection, extension, or alteration of a university building
• 64 – Prior Approval: Change of use – commercial/business/service to dwellinghouses
• 65 – Prior Approval: Change of use – commercial/business/service/etc to mixed use incl up to two flats
• 67 – Prior Approval: Single living accommodation/Non-residential buildings on a closed defence site

Information for Local Authorities

If you are using the latest (v3) version of our data standard, all the current and new Use Classes options will be available as specific data points in the application’s XML datafile. If this data is not showing up in your Development Management IT system, then you’ll need to check that the application data is being correctly processed and fully imported.

If you are using an older version (v2.0.1 or below), then any of the options added by this change will be mapped into the application data as ‘Other’, with the description matching the text shown in the list above. This should allow you to continue to receive the data in the manner it is currently supplied, without having to manually reconcile the information against the PDF application forms.

Information for applicants/agents

Draft applications – We recommend that any previously selected Use Classes in draft applications are reviewed prior to submission to ensure they are current and relevant to your proposal.

Any that have previously been entered as ‘Other’ will remain in place as such, but any that we are removing should be updated to their current equivalent e.g. update ‘Offices’ from B1(a) to E(g)(i). View more details on all the current Use Classes.

Submitted applications – If you have submitted applications that contained any of the Use Classes we are removing, you may see them only referred to by their class (e.g. ‘A1’) in the online forms. They will remain as originally selected in the generated application form PDFs.

Amendments – If you are amending an application, then we recommend that the original Use Classes selections are not updated, unless they are the reason the amendment is being made.

Copying applications – If you are copying an application, then outdated Use Classes may remain in the copy, and the advice for draft applications above should be followed.