Agricultural Permitted Development Rights allow certain types of agricultural development to be carried out without the need for a full planning application, helping to make the process quicker and cheaper. Instead of a full planning application, you can submit a ‘Prior Notification’, which should demonstrate that your proposal meets the relevant criteria. If you present your case correctly and don’t raise any red flags, the local planning authority (LPA) should allow your proposal.
While not all farm development is covered, the size and extent of buildings you can construct has recently been expanded. These developments are deemed to be ‘Permitted Development’, but you need to notify your LPA before you begin works, via a process called ‘Prior Notification’.
What is Prior Notification?
Prior Notification is the formal process of informing the LPA of your intention to carry out works that are permitted by legislation. Unlike a full planning application, this process assumes the development is already permitted; the LPA’s role is to confirm that the proposal complies with Permitted Development criteria before work begins.
Reasonably necessary for the purposes of agriculture
When reviewing a Prior Notification, the LPA will consider factors such as the design, materials, scale, siting and proposed use. Importantly, the building must be ‘reasonably necessary for the purposes of agriculture’. This is a key phrase designed to weed out those looking to stop non-agricultural development. It is therefore very important to argue your case effectively and clearly, to give no doubt that the building is within the rules.
