Rural Home for Disadvantaged Young People

Rural Care Home
JWPC helped ensure that a home could be established to provide care for disadvantaged young people, located in an idyllic location for growing up whilst being part of the local community.

The home’s owners had become mired in a tangle of red tape over which Use Class the proposed home – a former dwelling – belonged in.

The Lawful Use
Having approached the National Park Authority for pre-application advice, the client had been told that their plans for the re-use of a large house in the countryside fell outside the Government’s Class C3(b) Use Class, which usually relates to people who receive care. Consequently, a planning application for a Class C2 residential institution would be required – and would probably be refused.

JWPC combed through relevant case law and presented the National Park Authority with evidence to show that even if they continued to disagree with the use classification of the proposal, planning permission was not required if there was no material change in the day-to-day activity at the site.

Information was consequently put forward to show that the care home would be little different from a regular household in terms of comings and goings, and general activity. The legal position was accepted and a lawful development certificate granted.

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