Bespoke Home, South Hams

The Process

Replace an agricultural barn with bespoke new home via Class Q

We do talk about it a lot but that is because it is important! 'Class Q prior approvals' are a piece of planning legislation that allows the conversion of agricultural buildings to residential dwellings (subject to various regulations) and this was what we originally did at this site near Totnes, Devon. But gaining Class Q approval is just the first stage in a two-step process - once the land has been designated as 'residential' rather than 'agricultural' through the Class Q legislation then you can submit a subsequent planning application to replace the now 'residential' barn with something entirely new altogether using the Class Q barn as a solid 'fallback position'. So long as the design of your new dwelling that replaces the barn can be justified as further improving the design of your new home and/or the impact on the surroundings then there is a good likelihood that you can gain consent for a truly bespoke new home, unhindered by the constraints of the Class legislation or the form and position of the original barn. The process is often referred to as 'betterment' and is exactly what we were able to achieve with this new home. In this instance we were able to move the dwelling to a new location, rotate its orientation on site and even include a detached 2 bedroom annexe to the 5 bedroom house. The dwelling sits much more comfortably in its beautiful surroundings than the original agricultural barn and showcases just what can be achieved through careful and clever design and planning.