They are wrong. I know because I did it. Twice. On the same farm. After being told by multiple planning professionals that it could not be done.
The open hay barn is the most common agricultural building in England. It is also the most misunderstood when it comes to Class Q. Ask a planning consultant whether an open-sided steel frame barn qualifies and most will say no without hesitation.
That answer is wrong. It has been wrong since 2016. Most people in the industry have not caught up.
Class Q requires that the building be capable of conversion. An open barn, with no walls and no enclosure, looks on the face of it like it cannot be converted into a dwelling. It looks like a new build in disguise.
That interpretation was challenged in the courts. The outcome changed everything for farmers with open barns. But the knowledge of that outcome has not filtered through to most local planning authorities, most consultants, or most farmers.
An open hay barn on a steel frame can qualify for Class Q. The conditions are specific. The application has to be framed correctly. Get it wrong and the LPA will refuse on the grounds everyone expects. Get it right and you have a conversion that most people said was impossible.
I have done this three times across two Warwickshire locations. The guide covers the full picture, including the case law, what the building needs to look like, and how to present the application so it cannot be refused on these grounds.
A complete end-to-end guide for farmers and landowners converting an agricultural building under Class Q Permitted Development. Open hay barns, eligibility, highways, bat surveys, the 56-day rule, and everything in between. Based on direct experience. Three applications. Two locations. All granted.
Get the guide — £67