Agricultural barn and site insurance

[kantryla]

Hi there, I'm just finalising the purchase of a plot of land with a 1980's timber framed agricultural barn on it.  it has Class Q permitted development rights on it.  The barn is still in current use and is in good repair.  I suspect it will be 6 to 12 months before we can start the conversion, so I think we need site insurance (public liability) as a minimum.  I think I read somewhere that Class Q is with the existing structure therefore if anything happens to that structure the permission lapses (eg fire, collapse etc) even before build starts.  So I think that means we need to insure the existing barn for complete rebuild back to its current state.  If thats the case would we be better getting agricultural type insurance - like small holding or will standard self build products be enough?

 

Thanks in advance

[PeterW]

Standard self build insurance will cover it - as would an empty building policy. Agricultural Insurance is unlikely to as you are not carrying on with using for farming etc. 

 

Try GSI or NFU. 

[Tom]

If you had to rebuild it I think the part q would no longer be valid - as structural works would have been carried out. I think you would need to insure to cover your financial losses if this happened.