Planning Consent Class

[pinkybanks]

Guys help me out, those of you who have commercial property and operate thier framing workshop from within...what class are you in... A1 or B1 or other?
Many thanks

[Framerpicture]

Although its a bit more complex than this class A is retail and B is industrial / maufacture.

I believe that on certain class B properties its ok to sell goods that were made on the premisis -


Best of all phone your local planning department!

[pinkybanks]

Local Planning Dept that’s where my problems appear to start!!!
Have found a place that has a shop front with separate workshop at the rear (this completely separate building that was utilised as storage by the previous user and was included within the rateable value for the building) the Local Planning Dept want to place B1 conditions on the outbuilding and effectively nearly double the current rates.
Surely my plans to run a small framing shop off the High St doesn’t deserve this much scrutiny and bureaucracy. All I want is a small shop face, with workshop to rear separated by counter to restrict access.
My search continues…

[pinkybanks]

Finally concluded with Local Planning that the classification most suited would be (sui-generis) owing to having both a shop front (a1) and a work shop(b1), but the official guide to picture framing according to a secret little book that the planners go from shows it to be B1...
So still no further forward until i formally apply, eight weeks and over £300 for my privilege.

[Not your average framer]

I suggest that you register or name your business as a gallery. The outcome might be much more helpful. If they try to designate the rear of the building as a workshop, I suggest that you make it multi-purpose, with a strong emphasis on stock and storage.

The primary function is the important factor, if the obvious function of the area is stock and storage, they will have to accept that. The limiting factor is that you will need to operate on that basis too, so that they can't do an inspection and prove otherwise.

Do as much of your framing as you can within the main part of the building, preferably cutting /joining frames and mountcutting. Try to make your working area within the main part of the building as multi-purpose as possible. I think the planning department will find it very hard to suggest that the rear is light industrial, if there is no evidence of any such capabilty or activity within that area. You will need plenty of storage space for materials, so it might be a good move all round.

I do almost everything within the main shop area. It's tight for space, but it works just fine and the very back room in my shop is deliberately left unheated with the door closed during cold periods to limit my overhead costs.

I hope that this helps.

[pinkybanks]

Thank you for the advice...why is everything such a battle, you'd think that the council would be falling over me to help and offer advice as it can only be good for the area to have one of the many empty shops filled with a tax payer. Not just TAX him'till he bleeds.
I'll revisit the site and see if i can operate from inside the mail building.