Getting planning permission/coverting barn - how easy and how much?

SpottyTB

SpottyTB

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Hi there,

Just wandering whether anyone has converted a barn? and How easy was it to get planning?

We're looking at buying a new farm (MIL/FIL and my gran), we will be wanting to convert the old two story barn into a cottage.. the building in general "looks sound", will need a new roof and basically converting it... has anyone else done this?

Or second option is to rip down the nissan hut at the top of the garden and build a small annexe/cottage there.. (small 2 bedrooms lounge/diner kitchen and bathroom)... how easy do you think it will be to get PP? and how much to build it from scratch?

any stories/idea's/advice welcome

Thanks
 
Converting a barn may not be too much of a problem, ripping down a nissan hut and rebuilding will prove much more difficult as you are effectively building a new dwelling. If you are planning to buy purely on being able to convert i would get the advice of a planning consultant or speak to the planners. You can check online to see if an application has already been made in the past. You may also have to put a '106' on any conversions tying it to the farm.
 
It really depends on where you are. You're better speaking to the local planners before you buy.

We have converted one barn, but that was over 20 years ago, and was hardwork. We weren't allowed many windows etc. We applied to convert a small barn a few years ago, were only given planning as a holiday let, which seems to be standard around here - you can't get permission to convert for yourself. Two exceptions have been - a, someone converted a small cowshed to a one bed cottage so that their disabled daughter could live there rather than with her parents in the main house. (b) a guy who had worked on his father's farm for 20 years was allowed to build a bungalow on the farm so he could live there with his family, rather than in the main house with his parents.. Both cases took a lot of struggling.
 
jrp204 said:
Converting a barn may not be too much of a problem, ripping down a nissan hut and rebuilding will prove much more difficult as you are effectively building a new dwelling. If you are planning to buy purely on being able to convert i would get the advice of a planning consultant or speak to the planners. You can check online to see if an application has already been made in the past. You may also have to put a '106' on any conversions tying it to the farm.
Click to expand...

Where can i find out if there has been a previous application made? We are buying to live their for the foreseeable future, to move our horses and to set up a home for my grandma who is getting older - she will be putting in X amount into it.. so would want to own the new dwelling and a bit of land.. (which i will end up having half of anyway.. again; another thing we have to investigate).


Honey08 - Its in a smallish area of cornwall, on a main road (house set back), barn is part of the court yard.. That's interesting about the two cases you've listed. Thank you!
 
Thank you - i've just searched and she's never requested PP. Only thing is the floor in the barn is earth? Will this affect anything?
 
You could ring the Cornwall Council planning office to ask about previous applications. You may have a problem if they allow a conversion with a 106 on it as it would make it tied to the farm, so a seperate ownership could cause complications should either party want to sell up.
 
It may not have a proper foundation then, so you may have to dig up the earth and get in feckloads of concrete! Maybe get an architect to view the property with you. They will give you an idea of how realistic your plan is, and estimate how much it would cost.
 
Money wise it would be easier to rip down the building and start again BUT planning wise I think they are more likely give it to you to do up the old barn.
The access to the building is the most important thing here. Make sure you own it and it does not go across anyone elses right of way or ownership. No matter what people will object so be prepared. There are alot of people out there green with envy when you start doing things like this.
Are you in Green Belt? A backdoor way is to get some food animals (if you have the land) they are more likely to give it as you need to be on site. keeping horses does not wash with planning. Get a planning officer out to visit.
You will need plans draw up first for you planning application. They could cost between £1,800 to £3K but shop around. Planning could come in between £1K and £2K depending on where you live.
A note on converting a barn, no matter what they are really cold and hard to heat. They where build to be cool all year round.
Good Luck
 
My sister is in the process of converting a 17th century cob barn (cob is mud stone and straw) deffo no foundations. They had to underpin it which was no major issue and certainly not the most expensive part of the process. Most barns will need underpinning, it wouldn't stop me from converting one.
Boobajob, keeping 'food animals' will only work if you can prove, with 3 yrs of accounts that you are deriving your living from them. 'Agricultural need' is extremely hard to get (been there, done it, without success), very few livestock enterprises actually need someone on site full time. Convenience is not a reason to pass an application.
 
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My OH converted a barn on his farm, his brother lives in one side, we live in the other. Don't think they had too much difficulty with planning however I know 1 stipulation was that they could only extend by so much % of the original square foot of the barn, so they doubled the kitchen size from what it would have been without the extension but couldn't go any bigger. pm me if you need any more info price etc :)

Our barn isn't cold or hard to heat, we have the heating on for an hour each end of the day, it's cool in the summer and warm in the winter- granite walls all round.
 
JRP204 - MIL just said she'd be happy to get the conversion tied into the property - as would my gran be.. aslong as it could be divided when she was gone *divided as in, when she goes the conversion will be left to my brother and he can have an income from it - rent it but not sell it. I can have the 2 acres of land she has or whatever.

Twizzel - i will deffo pm you :), the barn is probably big enough to have exactly what she want's within it's walls!

bobajob - I don't think it's in a green belt area, as there are properties all around it.. i can pm you the link to the house an explain what building it is?

:-)
 
Actually, before speaking to the local planners and flagging things up, have a chat with a couple of local architects - they are usually very clued up on how to get things passed and if there is a hope in heck of doing it...
 
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