Planning advice: how to get ‘prior approval’ to convert a warehouse, shop or office into a London home

Aspiring London self builders struggling to locate a plot of land could find the answer in a ‘permitted’ conversion.
First, find your warehouse: you could spot your ideal space to convert in an area with a mix of light industrial and residential buildings
Alamy/Andreas Von Einsiedel
Selwyn Atkinson25 September 2016

Only a tenth of total homes constructed in Britain are self-build projects, on average, whereas the proportion in other developed countries is closer to half.

In London the biggest obstacle to people building their own homes is the lack of development land and the difficulty in obtaining a self-build mortgage.

Aspiring London self builders should look for different, creative ways of getting on to the property ladder. Buying and then converting a warehouse, office or shop to a home is a good option, subject to “prior approval” under general permitted development planning rules.

Identifying locations where there is a mix of light industrial and residential buildings can be a good way to spot an opportunity for converting a warehouse into a home.

Reborn: a Shoreditch warehouse conversion with interior design by Niloufar Bakhtiar-Clignet
Alamy/Andreas Von Einsiedel

You should check with your council to see if the warehouse forms part of a protected commercial zone, and that the building and surrounding area are free from any ground or airborne pollutants — including loud noise from nearby factories.

Areas that are subject to flooding, or have poor transport connectivity, or where the warehouse itself has been listed are excluded from conversion, and the gross floor area of the building to be converted cannot exceed 500 square metres.

However, these rules would still allow for a large family home. And if you are lucky enough to find a warehouse with a double-height ceiling, you could put in a mezzanine floor to create more room at a later date.

Finding a suitable office to convert should be relatively easy, as in these locations there is less chance of poor air quality, contaminants or other environmental hazards.

Conversion: the former F Bowman foundry in Islington is now a private house
Alamy/Koberto Herett

Consider looking above high street shops, as these locations are usually well-connected to public transport and unlikely to be prone to flooding. New-build property, or offices first brought into use after May 29, 2013, are not eligible and a blanket exemption has been applied to all offices across central London, Canary Wharf and “Tech City” in the East End.

Shops which are neither listed nor within a conservation area, and have 150 square metres or less of floorspace can be converted under permitted development.

You should find out from the council whether the property falls within a “key shopping area”, and if, following conversion, there would be a sufficient number of other shops remaining for nearby residents to use.

To fund your project you should budget between £100 and £215 per square foot, excluding the purchase price of the property and VAT. For tax purposes you would be classified as a self-builder and therefore entitled to claim back any VAT you have paid on materials or services.