- Written by
- The Drawings4Planning technical teamChartered architectural technologists (MCIAT)
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 3 min
Georgian terrace on Delancey Street in Camden Town with white stucco ground floors, iron balconies, an estate agent's board, a moped and parked cars. Photo: David Howard, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Why does the route decide the bill?
Because the council fee changes with it, not our fee. Our £759 is the same on each route. The council’s bill is nil if no application is needed, £260 for each dwelling under a Class MA prior approval, and £610 for a full change-of-use application (fee schedule).
So a shop converted to one flat under prior approval costs £1,019 in fees to us and the council, while the same change through a full application costs £1,369. We work out which applies before the drawings are started.
| Change of use drawings, forms and submission paid to us | £609 |
|---|---|
| Measured survey of the building paid to us | £150 |
| Council fee for a change of use application paid to the council | £610 |
| Total | £1,369 |
Total £1,369: £759 to Drawings4Planning and £610 to the council. A Class MA prior approval would be £260 per dwelling instead.
When is no application needed?
When the change stays within one use class. Government guidance says a change in the primary use of land or buildings where the before and after uses fall within the same use class is not development, so no planning permission is needed (gov.uk).
A change that moves between classes is a material change of use and needs permission or a permitted development route. The guidance also notes that a change of use needs planning permission if it is a material change.
What does Class MA need?
Class MA lets a commercial, business or service building (use class E) become dwellings by prior approval. The building must have been in an eligible use for a continuous period of at least 2 years before the application, and it is not available for a listed building, a site of special scientific interest or similar protected land (GPDO Class MA).
It is a prior approval, so the council still looks at defined matters, such as transport, contamination, flooding, noise and natural light in habitable rooms. Our drawings show the layout, the windows and the access so the council can decide those points.
What else will it cost?
Building regulations drawings: £479 when we already hold the survey, so £1,238 to us for both sets. A change of use to dwellings brings the regulations for fire, sound and energy into play, and building control charges its own fee. If the conversion makes several homes, the council fee is per home, so a small block costs more than a single unit.
Where the figures come from
- £610
- Council fee for a change of use application, or per dwellinghouse where fewer than ten are made, from 1 April 2026. National fee schedule, published by Bradford Council
- £260
- Council fee for each dwelling under a Class MA prior approval. National fee schedule, published by Bradford Council
- Same class
- A change within the same use class is not development. gov.uk, When is permission required?
- 2 years
- Class MA needs a continuous eligible use for at least 2 years before the application. GPDO 2015, Sch. 2 Part 3, Class MA.1(1)(b)
- Listed
- Class MA is not available where the building is, or is within the curtilage of, a listed building. GPDO 2015, Class MA.1(1)(d)
Change of use cost questions
Is a prior approval always cheaper than a full application?
On the council fee, yes for one dwelling: £260 against £610. But prior approval is only available if the building meets the Class MA conditions, and a refusal can still leave a full application as the route.
What if my building is a pub or a hot-food takeaway?
Different permitted development classes apply to different starting uses, and some have their own fee. We identify the class for your building at the quote.
Does the price change with the size of the building?
Our starting fee is £609. A large or multi-unit building is priced higher once we know its size, and we confirm before you pay.
Can the council say no to a prior approval?
Yes. It can refuse on one of the matters it is allowed to look at. We cannot promise an outcome, and we redraw free until approval if a change would help.
Full details of the service: Change of use drawings.
