Do you need planning permission to put one or more containers on land?

Containers! Do they require planning permission? 

One strategy that I hear being promoted is to open up a storage business as containers do not require planning permission.

Unfortunately this is not true. Often a container will require planning permission.

Let’s explore and maybe when it doesn’t require planning.

Containers – what is beneath it? 

Before you look at the container, you need to look at the land upon which it or they will sit. 

Is it part of the curtilage? Is it garden land (see this page for the difference to curtilage)? Is it agricultural land? 

The next question you need to ask is what is the use going to be? 

If it is being used as an outbuilding within the curtilage, then the container needs to comply with Class E of Part 1 of the GPDO as an outbuilding. it must have an incidental use to the house and be a maximum height of 2.5m. It must also not occupy more than 50% of the land around your house within the curtilage.

If the use is going to be 28 days or less, then it would be covered under Class B of Part 4 of the GPDO – provided it is not within the curtilage of a building. But you only get this 28 day period once every calendar year.

Should you find a nice piece of land that has had no real use over the years, then you are very likely to require planning permission. The land is likely to be agricultural and starting a storage business from the land will see enforcement making enquiries as soon as the new structures are reported by a neighbour. 

Essentially when you change the use of the land, planning will usually be required. 

Let’s take the agricultural land again – if you use the container for purely agricultural uses, you are not changing the use of the land. So you might be able to place a container there under permitted development. If your land is over 5ha, then Class A of Part 6 of the GPDO allows for such buildings subject to prior approval.  

The one exemption to all of the above is whether the local authority considers the container to be a chattel and something that is easily moveable. In this case planning might not be required – however once again the use of the container will matter. If the use is the same as the land designation you could be good to go. If not once again planning will be required. But these circumstances are not that common now and local authorities increasingly see the container as a permanent building. 

Containers as a use on a building site. This is covered under Class A of Part 4 of the GPDO. This may well allow for a container to be on th eland during the construction for which planning has been approved. But it must be removed once constricted has completed. 

Reverting back to the agricultural land or indeed any other land which may have had a container on it for a few years. The container itself may well be passed any enforcement period (see below) but should you start to let out the container to a third party for storage or use it for non-agricultural activities, then it is likely to need planning for the change of use. Any subsequent enforcement should be for the use rather than the building or container itself. 

If the designation of the land is within a Conservation Area, National Landscapes (AONB), the Broads, National Park etc., it will make any planning application a bit harder. Permitted development rights may be impacted if there is a restriction within it. So for example, you may not be able to place the container to the side of the property within the curtilage, if the land is part of a conservation area. 

If you do require planning permission, Planning Geek can assist you with this – please complete this form and we will assist you.

Enforcement

Should the local authority decide that you are in breach of planning, they have the right to enforce. This is now a 10 year period, unless the works were substantially complete before 25th April 2024.  However this period would only have been 4 years before 25th April 2024 if the use of the land hadn’t changed. So for example had you put the container in a garden in the wrong location this would be a 4 year period if it was placed there before 25th April 2024.

They may invite you to submit retrospective planning. Although they are not obliged to offer or accept this. They may simply ask for the removal of the container(s).

If you need help with a retrospective application or enforcement, please reach out to us. We are here to help!

Certificate of Proposed Use or Development

If you are concerned about whether you can have the container on your land, you might wish to submit an application for a certificate of proposed use or development. Planning Geek can assist you with this application if required.

Please complete this form if we can help. 

Updated: 17th May 2025

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