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Do you own a rural Norfolk Barn? – why not convert it to homes!
Barn conversions make wonderful homes, and converting a Barn recently got easier!
A great opportunity exists for developers, self-builders and owners of redundant (or in use) agricultural buildings to convert to dwellings. (New rules came into force in 2018 under revised Permitted Development Class Q). Recent case law allows the permitted development possibilities to be used to strengthen a full planning application, which in turn gives even more possibilities.
There are several advantages to development as they strengthen our rural Norfolk economy and brings redundant and unloved buildings back to life. Barns can offer the perfect canvas for a home transformation and provide desirable property which more than returns on investment and adds huge value to redundant sites. There are of course limitations to what can be done, and a full site assessment of the site and options for development is needed before progressing with any applications. It is important to ensure that the site can be delivered sustainably, although planning policy tends to support re-using redundant buildings, there are some examples where it can be harder to justify
If you have been considering a barn conversion for a while, and putting it off, Now is the best time in a generation to secure your planning permissions.
Even if the barn is Listed and in a conservation area there is much that can be done.
Right is a picture of a GII listed barn, listed due to the fact it is deemed to be within the curtilage of a listed building.
Old and listed barns are a chalenge to work on, but it is a challenge we enjoy! This example was converted into a sumptuous 2/3 bedroom home with large living spaces and a galleried first floor. The eventual project cost was £180,000 including VAT which the customer was able to reclaim. The finished build therefore cost £150,000 and there was no Community Infrastructure Levy or Section 106 Tax to pay. The client owned the site already, so any uplift in value has contributed directly to equity.
