Sui Generis – uses outside the defined use classes

Sui generis is the planning shorthand for a use that falls outside the defined classes in the Use Classes Order 1987 (as amended). It is not itself a use class. Some uses are expressly excluded from the classes by the Order, while other activities can fall outside a class because of their particular character or because they form a genuine mixed use.

The introduction of Use Class E brought many commercial, business and service activities into one broad class. Activities such as veterinary services, beauty treatments, tattooing or massage may fall within Class E(c)(iii) where they are services appropriate to provide in a commercial, business or service locality, but the character of the actual use still matters.

Where an older planning permission expressly authorised a sui generis use, do not assume that the 2020 amendment silently rewrote every condition or permission as unrestricted Class E. Read the permission, conditions and lawful planning history alongside the current Order.

Sui Generis – uses which sit outside the defined classes. The phrase means “of its own kind” or “in a class by itself”. It is a Latin phrase sʊ.iː ˈɡɛnɛrɪs.

In case you are wondering – Sui Generis is pronounced Soo-ee Jen-er-iss

Agricultural uses need a little care here. Agriculture is not a Use Class, but that does not mean every agricultural activity should simply be labelled sui generis in the same way as a pub or casino. The statutory definition of agriculture includes horticulture, fruit growing, dairy farming, market gardens and nursery grounds. Whether a particular building or process is genuinely agricultural is a matter of fact and degree.

A police station is normally treated as sui generis, while a separate administrative office may fall within Use Class E. Closing a public counter does not by itself change the planning use of the building. The question is whether the character of the use has materially changed, taking account of features and activities such as custody facilities, operational policing and public access. If an office use is being claimed as lawful through the passage of time, the evidence and the applicable enforcement time-limit rules should be checked rather than relying on a simple age test.

Adult gaming centres, Licensed family entertainment centres, casinos and other amusement arcades are all Sui Generis 

The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020 amended the 1987 Use Classes Order. They created Classes E, F1 and F2 and expressly moved a number of former class uses into sui generis. The changes are summarised here.

Permitted development changes for sui generis uses

Some sui generis uses have specific permitted development rights allowing a change to another use, but there is no general right to move to or from sui generis. The exact right depends on the existing use and the class relied upon.

From another use to Sui Generis Use:

Class H – Reverses Class G as below

From Sui Generis use to another use:

Class A – Casino, Betting Office, Payday Loan Shop or Hot Food Takeaway to Use Class E
Class AA – Pubs, Wine Bars etc. to Pubs, Wine Bars etc., with expanded food provision
Class G – specified Class E, Betting Office or Payday Loan Shop uses to a mixed use with up to two flats
Class M – Payday Loan Shop, Hot Food Takeaway, Launderette, Betting Office to C3
Class N – Casino, Amusement Arcades to C3
Part 4 Class D – a temporary flexible-use right can also apply to specified uses, subject to the current limitations, notification requirements and time period set out in the GPDO

Agricultural buildings have separate change-of-use rights including Class Q, Class R and Class S. They are mentioned separately because an agricultural use is not automatically sui generis merely because it sits outside the Use Classes Order.

Important: Sui generis is not one large use class with free movement inside it. A change from one sui generis activity to another requires planning permission where it amounts to a material change of use. Some changes will plainly be material; others depend on the character and planning effects of the two uses.

Examples for Sui Generis use

The Planning Geek use class directory contains many examples. Uses expressly outside the defined classes include theatres, amusement arcades and funfairs, launderettes, fuel sales, motor-vehicle sales, taxi and vehicle-hire businesses, scrapyards, betting offices, payday loan shops, pubs, hot food takeaways, live-music venues, cinemas, concert halls, bingo halls, dance halls, casinos and nightclubs. Other uses can also be sui generis depending on their character, including some large HMOs, hostels, equestrian uses and composite mixed uses. Agriculture should be considered separately rather than simply labelled sui generis.

Builders’ merchants are a good example of why labels alone can be risky: depending on the planning unit and the balance of storage, trade-counter, retail and other activities, a site may fall within B8, Class E, a mixed use or sui generis.

Sui Generis Page Updated: 25th August 2026

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