Directory of use classes
On this page, we state that there is no list of use classes. There isn’t. This is not a list of use classes. It is however a directory showing which use classes we expect a particular use to fall into.
It isn’t every building use within England, but there are quite a few! Some might be open to debate as well. Where a use class is not described in either Use Class B, C, E, F1 or F2 then it falls outside the Use Class Order and is therefore Sui Generis.
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.
We will add to this page as we find that some common uses are missing. If you feel we are wrong in any of these, please let us know! It might just be a typo on our part.
The Directory
You can sort this table on either column. You may also search for keywords. We have over 130 examples, but if any are missing, let us know.
| Usage | Use Class |
|---|---|
| Agricultural Units | Sui Generis |
| Alkali Work | Sui Generis |
| Amusement Arcade | Sui Generis |
| Aparthotels | C1 |
| Artists Studio | E |
| Banks | E |
| Barbers | E |
| Barns | Sui Generis |
| Beauty Salons | E * |
| Bed & Breakfast | C1 |
| Bedsit | C4 |
| Betting Shops | Sui Generis |
| Bingo Hall | Sui Generis |
| Boarding Houses | C1 |
| Builders Yard | Sui Generis ∆ |
| Building Societies | E |
| Buildings used for storage | B8 |
| Bungalows (use by single person or family) | C3 |
| Cafés | E |
| Car Hire | Sui Generis |
| Car Racing | Sui Generis |
| Car Repairs | B2 |
| Car Showroom | Sui Generis |
| Casino | Sui Generis |
| Catering premises & production | B2 |
| Catering Storage & Distribution | B8 |
| Church Halls | F1 |
| Churches | F1 |
| Cinema | Sui Generis |
| Clinics | E |
| Concert Hall | Sui Generis |
| Crèches | E |
| Custody Centres | C2A |
| Dance Hall | Sui Generis |
| Day Nurseries | E |
| Dentists | E |
| Detention Centres | C2A |
| Distribution Centres | B8 |
| DIY Shed | E |
| Dog Grooming Parlour | E * |
| Drinking Establishments with Expanded Food Provision | Sui Generis |
| Dry Cleaners | E |
| Employment Agencies | E |
| Estate Agencies | E |
| Exhibition Halls | F1 |
| Factories | B2 |
| Firearms Sports | Sui Generis |
| Flats (use by single person or family) | C3 |
| Football Pitches | F2 |
| Fuel Stations | Sui Generis |
| Funeral Directors | E |
| Funfairs | Sui Generis |
| Garages (Fuel) | Sui Generis |
| Group of up to 6 people living together as a single household | C3 |
| Group of up to 6 people living together with care | C3 |
| Guest Houses | C1 |
| Gymnasiums (Gyms) | E |
| Hairdressers | E |
| Health Centres | E |
| Hire Shops | E |
| HMOs (3 to 6 people) | C4 |
| HMOs (7+ people) | Sui Generis |
| Homeowner with a lodger | C3 |
| Hospitals | C2 |
| Hostels (No care) | Sui Generis |
| Hot Food Takeaways | Sui Generis |
| Hotels | C1 |
| Houses (use by single person or family) | C3 |
| Industrial Process | B2 |
| Industrial Processes in a residential area without causing detriment to the amenity of the area | E |
| Internet Cafes | E |
| Job Centre | E |
| Landfill Sites | Sui Generis |
| Large HMOs | Sui Generis |
| Launderettes | Sui Generis |
| Law Courts | F1 |
| Live Music Venue | Sui Generis |
| Local Halls | F2 |
| Local Shops (no other such facility < 280 sq m within 1 km) | F2 |
| Maisonettes (use by single person or family) | C3 |
| Massage Parlour | E * |
| Military Barracks | C2A |
| MOT Centre | B2 |
| Motorsport Arenas | Sui Generis |
| Museums | F1 |
| Nail Bar | E * |
| Nightclubs | Sui Generis |
| Non-residential Education and Training Centres | F1 |
| Non-retail Photographic Studio | E |
| Nursing Homes | C2 |
| Offices | E |
| Open Air Storage | B8 |
| Osteopath | E |
| Other Drinking Establishments | Sui Generis |
| Outdoor Sport | F2 |
| Payday Loan Shops | Sui Generis |
| Petrol Stations | Sui Generis |
| Phone Shop | E |
| Places of Worship | F1 |
| Police Offices (not a station) | E |
| Police Stations | Sui Generis |
| Post Offices | E |
| Postal Sorting Offices | Sui Generis |
| Prisons | C2A |
| Professional Services | E |
| Public Halls (except local) | F1 |
| Public Libraries | F1 |
| Public Reading Room | F1 |
| Pubs | Sui Generis |
| Recording Studios | E |
| Religious Instruction | F1 |
| Research & Development | E |
| Residential Accommodation in need of care | C2 |
| Residential Schools, Colleges or Training Centres | C2 |
| Restaurant | E |
| Retail Warehouse Club | Sui Generis |
| Retail Warehouses | E |
| Sale of cold food for consumption off premises | E |
| Schools | F1 |
| Scrap Yards | Sui Generis |
| Secure Hospitals | C2A |
| Secure Local Authority Accommodation | C2A |
| Secure Training Centres | C2A |
| Serviced Accommodation | C1 / C3 Sui Generis † |
| Shops | E |
| Short term Holding Centres | C2A |
| Skating Rink | F2 |
| Solicitors | E |
| Sports Arenas | F2 |
| Student Blocks | Sui Generis |
| Supported Housing with care (up to 6 people) | C3 |
| Swimming Pools | F2 |
| Tattoo Parlours | E * |
| Taxi Company | Sui Generis |
| Tennis Courts | F2 |
| Theatres | Sui Generis |
| Ticket Agencies | E |
| Tourist Information | E |
| Travel Agencies | E |
| Vehicle Sports | Sui Generis |
| Veterinary Practice (Vets) | E |
| Warehouses | B8 |
| Wine Bars | Sui Generis |
| Yard for Breaking of Motor Vehicles | Sui Generis |
| Yard for Storage / Distribution of Minerals | Sui Generis |
| Young Offenders’ Institutions | C2A |
| Zoo | Sui Generis |
* Traditionally we have considered tattoo parlours or beauty salons to be sui generis, but the new wording in Use Class E says ‘any other services which it is appropriate to provide in a commercial, business or service locality’ which in our opinion brings several other local uses into Use Class E. You might however find that the local authority doesn’t agree. We hope they do.
∆ Builders Merchants could be classed as B8 or Sui Generis. Wickes tend to prefer Use Class B8 / E and have obtained this at appeal.
† Serviced accommodation or Airbnb etc., can be classed as Use Class C1, C3 or Sui Generis, depending upon the local authority and the number of nights occupied per year. Serviced Accommodation or SA for short, does not appear in the Use Class Order as a result various local authorities treat them differently.
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Page Updated: 12th May 2022
Planning Use Classes
| Which Use Class is my building? | Changes in 2020/21 |
| Class A (now defunct) | Class E |
| Class B | Class F1 |
| Class C | Class F2 |
| Class D (now defunct) | Sui Generis |
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