Planning Question?

[bobo]

Quick one for the planners out there if i may be so bold. I live in a house that has an office building that i use and own next to it. Its a terraced arrangement. My house has residential use and my office, well office use. Both are distinct and separate buildings with separate entrances.

Now i was thinking of applying for planning permission to join the 2 buildings as it were internally but not change the use so the house remains resi and the office, office.... more a sort of lazy mans way of getting to my office from my living room.... May sound a bit odd/mad to some of you but i think it would work really well and look good....

Point is i have no intention of changing the use of the office as it will remain my office with employees but perhaps apply for a consent to join both buildings from the inside and therefore have an access point to either (as it were)...

is this possible or will it be seen as a change of use from office to resi?

hmmmmmmm?

Many thanks in advance

[GuinnessMK]

If you just want a door between the two properties, I can't see it being a planning issue, more one of building regs (unless they are listed buildings). I'd just blaze through and disguse the openings with bookcases

If you want to combine the two buildings into one, then you are going to open a fairly big can of worms. Presumably one property has business rates, the other council tax? Presumably one is insured as a business premises and the other domestically? Then you'd be paying two lots of utility bills on one property, unless you got major re-wiring / etc done?

[bobo]

GuinnessMK said:

If you just want a door between the two properties, I can't see it being a planning issue, more one of building regs (unless they are listed buildings). I'd just blaze through and disguse the openings with bookcases

If you want to combine the two buildings into one, then you are going to open a fairly big can of worms. Presumably one property has business rates, the other council tax? Presumably one is insured as a business premises and the other domestically? Then you'd be paying two lots of utility bills on one property, unless you got major re-wiring / etc done?

hi GuinnessMK

Ideally i think in planning terms it would be combining the 2 buildings into 1. Correct, biz rates on the office and Ctax on the resi. The properties in terms of utilities are stand alone so thats not a problem.

Its a bit of an unusual one but im not sure if the planners would see an application to encompass both as a change of use? thats the crux of it really...

[davidjpowell]

Ring them and ask! They can be helpful on occasions

[bobo]

yes ... im still waiting for someone to call me back... hence the question here!! but thanks anyway

[davidjpowell]

I can't see how it can affect anything too much. Your not creating a new use, just forming a link.

I would guess it will be more about how the physical linkage will work.

[Sam_68]

As GuinnessMK says, it's not a Planning issue.

They couldn't possibly take enforcement action unless they could prove that you were using the office spaces for residential use, or vice versa.

Definitely a Building Regualtions issue, though; certainly with respect to Part A (forming an opening in a structural wall) and Part B (fire safety), so you definitely need to be talking to your local Building Control Officer. They'll probably be willing to deal with the work under a building notice, unless you get a bit of a Jobsworth.

Neither Building Control nor Planning has any interest in business rates/council tax issues.

[bobo]

many thanks....