When the Wind(fall) Blows: Controversial commercial-to-residential permitted development rights, explained
Last week's expansion of permitted development rights on high streets came as "a bit of shock", says Roy Pinnock, a partner in the Planning & Public Law team of the world's biggest law firm, Dentons. Changes announced by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick open up many more commercial properties for residential conversion without the need for full-fat planning permission. Here Pinnock explains what the new PD proposals are, and what's not to like about them...
Roy is a partner in Dentons' Planning and Public Law team, bringing his experience of working on regeneration projects within local government and as a consultant to his legal practice. He advises on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious planning for complex housing, fracking and mixed-uses development, including environmental assessment, highways law and judicial review. He is also a Solicitor Advocate with higher rights of audience, and a specialist in Community Infrastructure Levy, EIA/ SEA, viability, Local Plans and related hearings and examinations.
What to read next
Permitted development rights extended as planning red tape axed
Homeowners in England are free to build larger rear extensions without full planning permission
By PrimeResi
Talking Heads: On the expansion of Permitted Development Rights
Specialists from the worlds of acquisition and architecture offer their unbridled thoughts on the government's latest tweaks to the planning system...
By PrimeResi
What about inner city development, Sir Oliver? You need to break some eggs…
The Rt Hon Sir Oliver Letwin’s recent report is an interesting read in considering swathes of the Thames Estuary, Nine Elms or Bicester - but it doesn’t really address the heart of the problem, says…
Companies in this article
DentonsMost read
Savills completes £170mn townhouse run at Chelsea Barracks
Contracts exchanged on £40mn Banda-designed residence, rounding out sales at Mulberry Square.
‘The penny has dropped’: London’s supply of supersized apartments is drying up
‘Signs of urgency’ emerge around the capital’s top schemes as new figures reveal how Westminster’s size limit is reshaping the super-prime landscape.
Super-prime Kensington development launch draws over 150 agents
In Pictures: London’s prime property crowd gets first look inside REDD’s newly completed One Palace Green.
US brokerage giant launches global division for cross-border property deals
Compass rolls into international markets including the UK with new agent network.
By PrimeResi
Picky buyers & patchwork performance: The state of Prime Central London in 2026
Fresh data and charts reveal differing fortunes across the capital’s luxury property heartlands - and offer some pointers as to what happens next.
Strutt & Parker broker ranks hit double figures
Seasoned St John’s Wood agent becomes tenth member of recently launched brokerage division as heritage firm targets further Prime London expansion.
Broker lands stellar £18mn instruction in SW London
Grade I-listed Richmond observatory - now a super-prime residence - was originally built for George III to watch the transit of Venus.
‘There are quiet Augusts and then there are quiet Augusts’: Prime London sales hit 18-year low
Latest LonRes numbers point to a particularly slow summer for prime London - but there are signs of life at the top end.
The £100k Mistake: A top buying agent on what prime property buyers need to know about AI
The real value of a good advisor is in judgement & knowledge of things beyond data, says Property Vision's Rob Fanshawe.
London super-prime sales haul jumps 72% despite global slowdown
Knight Frank tracked a 'flurry of remarkable sales' in London during Q2, but US$10mn+ transaction volumes dipped slightly.
By PrimeResi
LATEST ARTICLES
Treasury eyes £1.5mn mansion tax threshold as Budget rumours gather pace
Updated: Reports suggest Treasury is considering widening the HVCTS net, potentially hitting nearly 300,000 homes.
£33k-a-week Mayfair mansion leads run of blockbuster London rental deals
Mount Street and One Hyde Park mega-lets mark five-year highs as capital's luxury rental supply shrinks.
£11.8bn development wave to reshape West Kensington’s market
New research makes the case for a West Ken renaissance, as a trio of major development projects look set to redraw the local map - and hike property values.
By PrimeResi
Asking prices stage Autumn bounce, but London sellers face tough market
The average price tag on a newly-listed home has risen for the first time since May, but Rightmove warns that sellers are competing for buyers in the most crowded market for 12 years.
By PrimeResi
Knight Frank moves Hungerford office to Newbury
Agency shifts longstanding operation to larger market as it eyes further growth across Berkshire and Wiltshire.