Housing crisis experts say empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into 'hastily constructed rabbit hutches' due to planning permission loophole

A legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permission, leaving residents in 'hastily constructed rabbit hutches'.
A legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permissionA legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permission
A legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permission

Data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows there were nearly 5,000 instances of vacant offices being developed into residential properties over the last five years – most of which were in cities such as Sheffield, Leeds and Bradford.

Housing experts say the pandemic and subsequent lockdown had highlighted the need for good quality housing, while offices in northern commuter towns and empty city centre shops could increasingly be turned into new flats.

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But the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned these conversions may allow some developers to bypass normal planning rules, meaning some communities have lost out on "desperately needed" affordable housing.

A legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permissionA legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permission
A legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permission

A permitted development right (PDR) is general planning permission granted by Parliament for certain developments and changes of use, and allows developers to turn office buildings into homes without submitting a full planning application provided certain requirements over space and natural light are met.

It also means the typical requirement to provide a proportion of affordable housing cannot be enforced.

But David Renard, the LGA’s housing spokesman, said "serious concerns" remain over the high number of homes which continue to be created from former office buildings.

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He added: “Permitted development rules are resulting in the alarming potential loss of thousands of desperately-needed affordable homes.

A legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permissionA legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permission
A legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permission

"Planning is not a barrier to house-building, with councils approving nine in 10 planning applications. It is vital that councils and local communities have a voice in the planning process."

Out of the 95,000 new homes created in Yorkshire & the Humber in the last five years, an average of four per cent are understood to be office conversions.

Polly Neate, chief executive of housing charity Shelter, said allowing conversions of commercial buildings into residential through permitted development rights has been "an absolute disaster".

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She added: "It has resulted in tiny windowless homes no bigger than a parking space, often on remote industrial estates miles from schools, shops, or buses.

A legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permissionA legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permission
A legal loophole could mean thousands of empty offices in Yorkshire are being turned into homes without proper planning permission

"Extending PDR further to allow even more conversions will only keep producing unfit and unsuitable housing.

"If the Government truly wants to fix our housing emergency it needs to invest in a new generation of decent social homes, not hastily constructed rabbit hutches."

Anthony Breach, Senior Analyst at Centre for Cities, said he expected to see more closed shops and restaurants being turned into homes in big cities like Leeds in the aftermath of the pandemic, with many retail outlets either moving online or going out of business from people working from home.

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"There is already too much unused retail space in places like Leeds," he said.

"We may also see a rise in offices in commuter towns and small cities being converted into flats in the future as more people work from home, although I don't expect it to change much in the bigger cities"

An Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spokesperson said the fast-track system contributed to the delivery of more than 243,000 extra homes of all types last year.

They added: “We are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing – the largest investment in a decade – and the infrastructure levy in our planning reforms will ensure developers deliver at least as much affordable housing as under the current system."

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