How to Develop or Convert Your Farm Buildings Sustainably: Unlock The Long-Term Value Of Your Site

Converting Farm Buildings into Homes

If you own a farm or agricultural land with unused barns or outbuildings, Class Q permitted development rights offer a fantastic opportunity to convert these structures into homes. The best part? You may not need full planning permission, which can save you time and reduce costs.

Class Q allows for the conversion of agricultural buildings into up to five homes, provided certain conditions are met such as:

• A maximum floor area of 1000 sqm
• A maximum individual dwelling size of 150 sqm (1615 sqft)
• The building having suitable access

Converting Farm Buildings For Commercial Use

Farm diversification is a popular way to breathe new life into underused buildings. Whether you’re considering converting an old barn into a farm shop, holiday let, or work space, Class R permitted development rights allow you to repurpose agricultural buildings for commercial use without the need for a full planning application.

Under Class R, farm buildings can be converted into flexible commercial spaces such as:

• Shops
• Cafes
• Offices
• Leisure or recreational facilities

This opens up opportunities to use neglected buildings on your farm for imaginative and profitable new purposes. There are various criteria you’ll need to consider, and so we’ve put together a resource to help you begin the journey of diversifying your land.

Note: Not all buildings will qualify under Class Q or R, so a proper feasibility assessment is key.

Shropshire Farm

Our proposal at Shropshire Farm recognises the fundamental need for the farmstead to be highly functional, while using an environmental design approach that looks to retain and re-use buildings and materials where possible.

We propose the removal of certain more recent/ dilapidated additions to the farmstead, and the retaining and upgrading of others. The result is a holistic scheme that brings life and function to otherwise derelict buildings, while encouraging wildlife and improving the wider landscape setting.

• Location: Shrewsbury
• Status: Construction

Twin Barn Farm

Twin Barn Farm had to negotiate the challenges of planning policy in its rural Norfolk location. The project required a thoughtful conversion of the steel framed shed with minimal impact on the external aesthetic. The solution was for the home to sit within the existing barn structure, while space has also been created to accommodate local craft businesses. This innovative approach to permitted development has resulted in a spatially exciting and energy efficient family home and furniture workshop.

• Location: South Norfolk
• Status: Complete
• Cost: House £475,000, workshop £100,000

Client Testimonial

“Studio Bark worked with us, from conception through to completion, to ensure the end result was a spectacular, unique, energy efficient home. The team took our ideas, details of how we wanted to use the space and live our lives, and created a great design. As a result, the house had extremely detailed plans due to the effective partnership between Studio Bark and Structure Workshop. This enabled us to build the house of our dreams.”

Milking Parlour

Milking Parlour is a proposal to convert an agricultural building to five dwelling units. All development will be within the footprint of the existing building, although an external timber cladding with timber fibre insulation will be added to the outside. The design is to retain the existing agricultural aesthetic of the building.

• Location: Norfolk
• Status: Planning

Warren Lodge

Warren Lodge is a modern interpretation of a traditional Norfolk barn, built using local materials all sourced from the UK. The 100m² low energy timber barn was built by students as part of our No Building As Usual live build education program.

• Location: Norfolk
• Cost: £56,000
• Status: Complete

Knepp Bio Barn

Studio Bark was appointed by rewilding pioneers, the Knepp Castle Estate, to design a bespoke biofuel system using entirely local, natural materials. Knepp is a trailblazing 3,500-acre rewilding project, and we designed the biobarn to contribute to its ambitious green credentials.

The barn incorporates a 100sqm chip store, a large boiler room and a number of associated machine stores. It is fueled with waste wood chip from the estate from routine thinning, leading to a dramatic Co2 saving. The ash produced by biomass boilers is high in potash which is valuable as a top dressing by farmers or as a component of composts by horticulturists. Most of the construction materials were sourced locally or from the estate woodlands themselves.

• Location: Horsham
• Status: Complete