The Government is currently consulting on extending Permitted Development rights for certain works to non domestic properties and introducing a new non domestic "prior approval" procedure as an intermediary tier between Permitted Development and a planning application. The consultation document (which can be viewed by clicking here) sets out the Permitted Development proposals for extensions to shops, offices, institutions such as colleges and hospitals, schools and industrial and warehouse premises. There are also proposals for the installation of air conditioning units.
The "prior approval" procedure enables limited information on a proposed development to be submitted to the local planning authority and consent will be deemed to be granted if the local planning authority doesn't object to the proposal within a specified time period.
New shop fronts and automatic teller machines are proposed to be the subject of the new "prior approval" procedure but will still require express listed building consents and building regulation approval.
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