Care Home to Flats under PD Rights

[Ambaz79]

Hello

 

I just had a question about a building we want to convert into Flats/HMO.  Currently the building is a care home and has been for 30+ years.  We have now closed the care home down and looking to develop it into a number of flats with potentially one wing being a separate HMO unit. Conversions would mostly be Putting doorways into walls with some partition walls with the addition of Ensuits (all plumbing is already there). 

 

Question is could this fall under PD Rights to change the use from care home to just residential flats?

[Mr Punter]

You will need to apply for planning consent, building regs, and an HMO licence.

[Ferdinand]

Talk to your local council, and an experienced HMO-specialist management agency in your area.

 

It is very different everywhere by nation and by Local Authority.

 

[tonyshouse]

I helped with 36 new flats from a closed down care home for a charity some planning needed for bits but basically pd lots of hassles over trees and CTax 

[IanR]

40 minutes ago, Ambaz79 said:

I just had a question about a building we want to convert into Flats/HMO.  Currently the building is a care home and has been for 30+ years. 

 

Was it purpose built? and is it C2 Use Class? If so then I don't believe there is a way to Use C3 (or C4) Residential under PD.

 

If it was originally C3 Residential, that was then converted to C2, it can be returned to its original lawful Use (C3 in this instance) under PD Class U.

[Ambaz79]

Hello its an old victorian house that was covered to a care home and then extended and then extended again.  The last extension is purpose built "kind of" with wc and sink only and is single storey. But at some point in the early 90s it was a home for sure. Has good parking 12+ and not in any conservation area or not protected in any way from what I know.  Bus stop outside the main door.

 

Looking to make 7 x 1 bed flats and 1 x 2 bed flat all with seperate living room/kitchenette.

 

On the bit that I said is custom built we want to switch to 5 bed hmo unit. Shared kitchen and lounge. With its own entrance. 

 

I believe it is class 2 at the moment. 

[IanR]

1 hour ago, Ambaz79 said:

 its an old victorian house that was covered to a care home and then extended and then extended again.  The last extension is purpose built "kind of" with wc and sink only and is single storey. But at some point in the early 90s it was a home for sure.

 

I can find plenty of references to the Class C2 (care homes) returning to its previous Use within PD. For instance:

 

 

Ref.   https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/9/change_of_use/2

 

But I can't locate the SI that includes this amendment to the 2015 General PD Order, which doesn't include this line.

The Statutory Instrument will include the full text which may give a hint to how extensions added after the original Change of Use would be treated.

 

I would guess that only the original parts of the building that once had a C3 Residential Use could be converted back to Residential under PD, and the new areas would require a Change of Use planning application.

 

I would expect the PD on part of the building would significantly assist the planning application. And, with a planning app, you could potentially make exterior changes that the PD would not allow.