Use Class F2 – Local community​

Use Class F2 of the Use Classes Order 1987 (as amended) was introduced on 1st September 2020 and covers some of the former use classes of D2 (non-residential institutions) and some uses that government wishes to protect for use in the community that were formerly D1 or A1. Some locations might be in Use Class E, Use Class F1 or even Sui Generis depending upon their current use.

The full description is for the use as –
a) a shop mostly selling essential goods, including food, to visiting members of the public in circumstances where—
(i) the shop’s premises cover an area not more than 280 metres square, and
(ii) there is no other such facility within 1,000 metre radius of the shop’s location,
b) a hall or meeting place for the principal use of the local community,
c) an area or place for outdoor sport or recreation, not involving motorised vehicles or firearms,
d) an indoor or outdoor swimming pool or skating rink.

The Use Class Order 2020 was an update to the Use Class Order 1987 and the changes are summarised here.

Permitted development changes for Use Class F2

Class R can allow an agricultural building to change to a flexible use falling within F2(c) for outdoor sport or recreation, subject to its limitations, conditions and prior approval. Otherwise there is no general permitted development right to move into or out of F2 simply because a use falls within that class.

Examples for Use Class F2

Class F2 includes qualifying small shops selling mainly essential goods, halls or meeting places used principally by the local community, areas or places for outdoor sport or recreation that do not involve motorised vehicles or firearms, and swimming pools or skating rinks.

Examples can include a qualifying village shop, community hall, scout hut, football or cricket pitch, tennis courts, a swimming pool and a skating rink. Labels such as petting farm, polo ground or sports arena still need checking against the exact statutory wording and the primary use of the planning unit.

An activity that would be F2 as a stand-alone primary use may instead be ancillary to another use. A swimming pool serving a hotel, for example, will normally form part of the Class C1 hotel use rather than becoming a separate F2 planning unit.

Use Class F2 Page Updated: 24th August 2026

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