Part 3: Changes of use not requiring planning permission

Part 3 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015 (GPDO) relates to the changes of use.

However not all changes of use require the use of the GPDO.

Planning permission is not needed when the existing and the proposed uses fall within the same ‘use class’, or if The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) (GPDO) says that changes of use is permitted to another specified ‘use class’.

For example, a greengrocer’s shop could be changed to a shoe shop without the need for planning permission as these uses fall within the same ‘use class’, and a restaurant could be changed to a shop or a estate agency as the GPDO allows this type of change to occur without requiring planning permission.

Whilst a change of use might not need permission, any external building work associated with a change of use may still require planning permission.

The tables mentioned below of permanent changes in Schedule 2 Part 3 simplifies the complex legislation and should be read as a guide only, and in conjunction with the additional comments and restrictions on both those pages and also within each separate class within Part 3.  In addition to the permanent permissions within Part 3, there are a number of temporary changes in Schedule 2 Part 4 these are covered here.

We have two quick reference tables to assist you in changes of use via the GPDO. 

1 – Changes of use via use class – see what options exist for your building in a particular use class

2 – Where you can use the GPDO to change the use. Can you use it in a Conservation Area or AONB for example? 

The various Classes with Part 3 are as follows:

Class A – casino, betting office, payday loan shop or hot food takeaway to commercial, business and service (Use Class E)

Class AA – drinking establishments with expanded food provision

Class G – commercial, business and service or betting office or pay day loan shop to mixed use

Class H – mixed use to commercial, business and service or betting office or pay day loan shop

Class I – industrial conversions (Use Class B2 to Use Class B8)

Class L – small HMOs to dwellinghouses and vice versa (C3 to C4 or C4 to C3)

Class M – certain uses to dwellinghouses (Launderette, Betting office, payday loan shop, hot food takeaway to C3)

Class MA – commercial, business and service uses to dwellinghouses (Use Class E to C3)

Class N – specified sui generis uses to dwellinghouses (Casino or Amusement arcade to C3)

Class O – offices to dwellinghouses (now defunct)

Class P – storage or distribution centre to dwellinghouses (now defunct)

Class PA – premises in light industrial use to dwellinghouses (now defunct)

Class Q – agricultural buildings to dwellinghouses

Class R – agricultural buildings to a flexible commercial use

Class S – agricultural buildings to state-funded school

Class T – commercial, business and service, hotels etc to state-funded schools

Class U – return to previous use from converted state-funded school or registered nursery

Class V – changes of use permitted under a permission granted on an application

Paragraph W – procedure for submitting an application

Paragraph X – definition of words and descriptions used within Part 3

Page Updated: 16th April 2025

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