New noise planning rule for commercial to residential development

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From today, 6 April 2016, planning legislation has been amended to ensure that noise impacts from nearby commercial activity is taken into consideration before change of use of an existing building from office to residential use can be carried out. This amendment to the permitted development right brought in April 2013, is being welcomed by music industry campaigners who have blamed noise complaints for putting many small music venues under threat of closure. While Environmental Protection UK also welcome this as a common sense step, we remind developers that they must also seek to resolve potential noise issues all existing business that could be impacted by new residential property

Permitted development rights have been extended in recent years, allowing some developments to take place without going through the full planning system. These new regulations mean developers can’t now change offices to flats without working with the local authority and any adjacent business to consider ” impacts of noise from commercial premises on the intended occupiers of the development”.

Alan Bratt, Chair of the EPUK noise committee said:

“We are pleased to see that developers are now bound to fully take into account the existence of commerical business including music venues when planning new residential development. The planning system should ensure that we are creating cohesive communities, not conflict between neighbours.”

See the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2016.