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Use class order

GUIDE TO USE CLASSES ORDER AND PERMITTED CHANGES OF USE (ENGLAND)

USE CLASSES (Amendment) ORDER 2005 (see note 1)	USE CLASSES ORDER 1972	DESCRIPTION	GENERAL

A1 Shops	Class I	Shops, retail warehouses, hairdressers, undertakers, travel and ticket agencies, post offices, dry cleaners, internet cafes, etc.	No permitted change (see note 3)

		Pet shops, cat-meat shops, tripe shops, sandwich bars

		Show rooms, domestic hire shops, funeral directors

A2 Financial and Professional services	Class II	Banks, building societies, estate and employment agencies	Permitted change to A1 Where ground floor display window exits(see note 3)

		Professional financial services, betting offices

A3 Restaurants & Cafes		Restaurants, snack bars, cafes	Permitted change to A1 or A2

A4 Drinking establishments		Pubs & Bars	Permitted change to A1, A2 or A3

A5 Hot Food Take-Aways		Take-Aways	Permitted change to A1, A2 or A3

Sui Generis (see note 4)		Shops selling and/or displaying motor vehicles, retail warehouse clubs, launderettes, taxi or vehicle hire businesses, amusement centres, petrol filling stations	No Permitted change

B1 Business (see note 5)	Class II	(a) Offices, not within A2	Permitted change to B8 Where no more than 235 m²

		(b) Research and development, studios, laboratories, high tech

	Class III	(c) Light industry

B2 General Industry (see note 6)	Class IV-IX	General Industry	Permitted change to B1 or B8 B8 limited to no more than 235 m²

B8 Storage/distribution	Class X	Wholesale warehouse, distribution centres, repositories	Permitted change to B1 Where no more than 235 m²

Sui Generis		Any work registerable under the Alkali, etc. Works Regulation Act, 1906	No permitted change

C1 Hotels (see note 7)	Class XI	Hotels, boarding and guest houses	No permitted change

C2 Residential Institutions	Class XII	Residential schools and colleges	No permitted change

	Class XIV	Hospitals and convalescent/nursing homes

C3 Dwelling houses (see note 8)		Dwellings, small businesses at home, communal housing of elderly and handicapped	No permitted change

Sui Generis		Hostel	No permitted change

D1 Non-residential institutions	Class XIII	Places of worships, church halls	No permitted change

	Class XV	Clinics, health centres, creches, day nurseries, consulting rooms

	Class XVI	Museums, public halls, libraries, art galleries, exhibition halls

		Non-residential education and training centres

D2 Assembly and Leisure	Class XVII	Cinemas, music and concert halls	No permitted change

	Class XVIII	Dance, sports halls, swimming baths, skating rinks, gymnasiums

		Other indoor and outdoor sports and leisure uses, bingo halls, casinos

Sui Generis	Class XVII	Theatres, nightclubs	No permitted change

Notes

Changes of use within a specific class do not require planning permission provided that the use subsists: the planning permission has been implemented, and no restrictive condition is attached to the consent
The permitted development rights shown in the final column do not require planning permission where all criteria set out in the Order are met and no restrictive conditions apply.
The General Development (Amendment) Order 1995 provides the permitted change of use of a building from Class A1 or A2 to a mixed use for the purposes of either Class A1 or Class A2 and as a single flat, and from such a mixed use to Class A1 or Class A2 use provided the Class A1 or A2 use is situated on a floor below the single flat and various other conditions are met
Sui generis is a term which refers to a use on its own. Any planning use not falling within a specific class within the Use Classes Order falls within this category.
A B1 use must be capable of being undertaken in any residential area without detriment to the amenity of that area by reason of noise, vibration, smell, fumes, smoke, soot, ash, dust or grit.
The Use Classes (Amendment) Order 1995 amends the 1987 Order by omitting Classes B4-B7 (special industrial groups B-E). Industrial processes previously within these classes now fall within Class B2 (general industrial).
A C1 use is defined as a hotel or a boarding or guest house where, in each case, no significant element of care is provided.
Six or less residents unless living together as a family.
It should be noted that permitted changes of use identified above are ratchet changes, ie., cannot be made in reverse.
Various other permitted development rights exist for, inter alia, industrial and warehouse buildings, dwelling houses, agricultural buildings, schools, colleges, universities, hospitals and development by statutory undertakers.
The above is intended as a general guide only. Reference must be made in the final instance to the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 as amended, the Use Classes (Amendment) Order 2005, and General Permitted Development (Amendment) Order 2005.

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