The British Property Federation (BPF) has broadly backed the extension of permitted development rights, allowing office to residential conversions without the need to seek planning permission.
However, while giving its support to proposals to extend the scheme beyond its initial three year period – which comes to an end in 2016 – the BPF has expressed concerns about the government’s ‘one size fits all’ approach to exemption criteria.
The government is proposing that from 2016, local authorities must assess whether they are eligible to seek an opt-out from the scheme according to strict guidelines. The BPF believes that this fails to take into account regional diversity and will lead to less, rather than more, development.
“Consider the different needs of a borough like Westminster to a small metropolitan area outside London,” says Liz Peace (pictured) the chief executive of the BPF.
“There is no way that the same set of criteria can apply to both areas. Allowing local authorities to each assess their own situation will yield much better results.”
The BPF suggests that this could be achieved by the Secretary of State defining the ‘broad criteria for what constitutes a strategic office location.’ It would then be up to local authorities to identify their own employment areas based on the government guidelines.
The BPF has also offered its broad support to the extension of permitted development rights to include casinos, amusement arcades and nightclubs, although the industry body does not believe that the inclusion of warehouses and industrial property would deliver additional homes.
“”We remain unconvinced that many developers would choose to turn a warehouse into a residential hub,” Peace said.
Recently London Mayor Boris Johnson voiced his opposition to the proposals and pledged to make “a vigorous case for the retention of business space.”
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