Farm Diversification: Planning Permission, Class R and Permitted Development

National policy supports diversification

Policy E4 of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) says the sustainable growth of rural businesses should be supported, including the development and diversification of agricultural and other land-based businesses, the conversion of existing buildings, well-designed new buildings and facilities for rural leisure and tourism. It names farm shops among the farm development that should be supported.

It also accepts that rural business sites may need to be outside settlements and in places not well served by public transport. In those cases development should be sensitive to its surroundings, and opportunities to use previously developed land, or sites well related to existing settlements, should be taken where they exist. Local plans add their own criteria, so the right route depends on the council as well as the project.

Converting farm buildings: Class R

Class R of the permitted development rules (Part 3 of the General Permitted Development Order) allows an agricultural building and its curtilage to change to a flexible commercial use without a planning application. Since May 2024 the permitted uses are:

• Commercial, business and service uses (Class E)Including shops, cafés, offices, light industry, gyms and day nurseries.
• Storage and distribution (B8)Often the simplest use for a sound modern building close to a good road.
• Hotels (C1)Holiday accommodation in converted buildings.
• General industry (B2)Limited to processing raw goods produced on the site, other than livestock, for sale on the site.
• Outdoor sport and recreation, and agricultural trainingFor example, a converted building serving a fishing lake or a training facility.

How Class R works

• Agricultural useThe building must have been used solely for agriculture as part of an established agricultural unit on 3 July 2012, or, for buildings brought into use later, for at least 10 years before the change.
• SizeUp to 1,000 square metres of floor space within each agricultural unit can change use under Class R.
• Notification or prior approvalUp to 150 square metres needs only a notification to the council. Above that, prior approval is needed for highways, noise, contamination and flood risk, and the change must begin within three years.
• ExclusionsListed buildings and scheduled monuments are excluded. Unlike Class Q, Class R is not excluded in National Parks or National Landscapes.
• Building worksClass R covers the change of use only. External alterations, such as new openings or cladding, usually need planning permission.

Events, markets and campsites

Part 4 of the permitted development rules allows some temporary uses without permission:

• Temporary use of land (Class B)Any use for up to 28 days a year, with markets and motor racing limited to 14 of those days. This often covers weddings in a marquee, pick-your-own or a seasonal event. It does not apply to land within the curtilage of a building, or to camping except in connection with a festival.
• Temporary campsites (Class BC)A recreational campsite of up to 50 pitches for up to 60 days a year, with toilets and waste disposal on site. The council must be notified before the use starts each year, and prior approval is needed in Flood Zones 2 and 3. It does not apply on a listed building site, a scheduled monument or a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and it does not allow caravans, although motorhomes are permitted.

When you need planning permission

Most permanent diversification needs a planning application: holiday lets and glamping pods, a year-round campsite, a farm shop selling bought-in goods, a wedding venue used beyond 28 days, new buildings, or alterations to a building converted under Class R. Councils usually look for:

• A link to the farmHow the new use supports the viability of the holding. A short business case helps.
• Reuse before new buildConverting sound existing buildings is generally favoured over new buildings in open countryside.
• Access and trafficVisibility at the farm entrance and the effect of visitor or delivery traffic on rural lanes. This is often decisive.
• Landscape and neighboursLighting, noise from events, and design in protected landscapes.
• Biodiversity net gainPlanning permissions for sites over 0.2 hectares generally need a 10% biodiversity net gain. Changes of use under permitted development do not.

Diversification in the Green Belt

In the Green Belt, the reuse of buildings of permanent and substantial construction is not inappropriate development. Material changes in the use of land, such as for outdoor sport or recreation, are also acceptable provided openness is preserved and there is no significant conflict with Green Belt purposes (Policy GB7). New buildings are harder unless they are for agriculture, outdoor sport or recreation, or the land qualifies as grey belt. Our guide to stables in the Green Belt explains how these tests are applied.

Related routes

Homes are dealt with separately, under Class Q or as a rural worker's dwelling. Before converting a building, check its history, because a building put up under farm permitted development in the last ten years can restrict other rights (see our guide to farm buildings and prior notification). Some farms are also selling biodiversity units to developers, and leisure uses such as padel courts are growing.

Local planning advice

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