Planning use class directory: over 350 examples

On this page, we state that there is no directory or gazetteer of planning use classes. There isn’t. This is not a list of planning use classes. It is however a directory showing which use classes we expect a particular use to fall into. There is a difference – honest!

This directory contains more than 350 examples, from A to Z. Each entry is a practical starting point rather than a statutory classification of the business name.

There used to be a land use gazetteer several years ago, but this is very out of date. Sadly there is a risk that people might refer to that in order to try and figure out the use class of a building. It is misleading and should be avoided. Life has moved on!

The Order classifies the actual use of land or buildings, not the operator’s label. Several entries are necessarily open to debate because use class is a question of fact and degree. Where a use class is not described in either Use Class B, C, E, F1 or F2 then it falls outside a defined use class and is commonly described as sui generis.

In APP/R5510/X/22/3290784, the Inspector found that the proposed tanning salon fell within Class E on the evidence and in the overtly commercial context of that particular retail park. The decision also records that there was no definitive view that every tanning salon is either Class E or sui generis. It is a useful example of the fact-and-degree approach, not a universal classification.

Note that buildings which have multiple true uses could well be classed as Sui Generis. However if the secondary use is ancillary then the Use Class remains as the main one. For example a Cathedral with a shop would still be F1, as the gift shop is ancillary to the Church. This is important – as many uses could be an alternative use class if ancillary or incidental to another use. Also see ‘What is a planning unit‘.

Artist studio: making artwork as a trade or business may fall within Class E(g)(iii), subject to its residential-amenity test. The name alone does not classify a teaching venue, gallery, shop or a different production process. Our artist studio explanation covers the statutory definition and the Islington appeal. A gallery displaying art otherwise than for sale or hire is separately covered by Class F1(b). Premises used principally for retail art sales to visiting members of the public may instead fall within Class E(a).

We will continue to refine the directory as new decisions and examples emerge. If an entry appears wrong, please let us know and include any planning history, decision or appeal evidence that may help. This directory applies to England. Wales and Scotland have separate use-class systems.

The Use Class Directory

You can sort the table by either column or search for a keyword. It currently contains more than 350 examples. If a common use is missing, or you have evidence that an entry needs refining, let us know.

∆ A builders’ merchant may include retail sales within Class E, storage or distribution within B8, or a mixed yard and trade-counter operation which is sui generis. The planning unit and the dominant or composite character of the use matter more than the operator’s brand.

∆∆ Battery Energy Storage Systems are not named in the Use Classes Order. A stand-alone utility-scale BESS is often treated as sui generis, although a B8 argument may arise where the actual use is genuinely storage or distribution. The phrase “energy storage” does not determine the class by itself. The site, equipment, operation, planning history and overall character of the use must be assessed.

∆∆∆ A hand car wash may fall within Class E as a service to visiting members of the public, or it may be sui generis because of its layout, intensity or operational effects. On a larger site it may instead be ancillary to the dominant use, such as a petrol filling station. The planning unit and the actual operation must be identified first.

∆∆∆∆ See this page for further details involving both an inspectorate and a High Court decision on Clinical and Scientific Research Sites being under Use Class E.

†  Serviced accommodation, Airbnb and short-term letting are not use classes in their own right. Depending on the actual operation, accommodation may remain within C3, fall within C1, or amount to a sui generis use. Guest turnover, services, management, the planning unit and whether the premises remains anybody’s home can all matter. The number of nights is not a national use-class test, although Greater London has its own separate 90-night statutory relaxation.

†† An MOT centre, vehicle-repair workshop or servicing business is not classified merely by the name on the sign. A testing-led operation may fall within Class E if the facts fit its service limb. Repairing or maintaining vehicles is an industrial process; it may fall within Class E(g)(iii) only where it can be carried out in any residential area without detriment to amenity by reason of noise, vibration, smell, fumes, smoke, soot, ash, dust or grit. Otherwise B2 may apply. A mixed operation may instead be sui generis. Identify the planning unit, the actual activities, the operational character, the effects and the planning history before deciding the use class.

††† Sheltered, assisted-living and extra-care housing are not automatically C3 or C2. The answer depends on the planning unit, the independence of the accommodation, the nature and organisation of any care, staffing, communal facilities and the overall way residents live. A scheme can fall within C2, C3 or, in an unusual case, be sui generis. The mere availability of care, or the fact that residents need care, is relevant but not decisive by itself.

Need help identifying the lawful use?

The directory is a starting point. The lawful use of a particular property may depend on its planning history, the planning unit, conditions, the way the activity operates and whether any secondary use is genuinely ancillary.

Ian compiled this directory from legislation, decisions and practical client work. You can book a planning call if you would like help identifying the existing use or assessing a proposed change.

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Planning Use Class Directory Page Updated: 18th September 2026