Question about Class R permitted development - changing use from agricultural building to coffee shop

[farmwarren12]

Hi there

We live on a farm in Surrey. We run the farm but it is owned by the Council. It is an arable farm but also has a livery. We recently converted a horse trailer into a coffee shop and want to sell coffee from it to members of the public. We applied for planning to do this at the edge of the farm where it borders the woods but planning was refused on the basis that it would 'affect the openness of the greenbelt'. Very upsetting after spending thousands on a planning consultant team. To get round this, we are now thinking of moving the horse trailer into one of the disused agricultural buildings (it is currently used to store agricultural equipment and the seed when it arrives but things can be moved around) and plugging the trailer in and selling to the public from there as we are hoping this would then fall into class R permitted development (as it would be a change of use from an agricultural building to a coffee shop and we'd only then need to apply for the prior approval). Does anyone know if it would be possible to argue? If not and a full planning app would be necessary, does anyone know what the hurdles on agricultural land may be/have any tips? We can't face another rejection...!

I have tried to look online but there are no clear answers and we are at our wits end, any help would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks in advance, we really appreciate it!

Max


Max

 

[Nearly]

@George from SJM Planning

 

[George from SJM Planning]

Hi Max,

Class R might be your best option, I'd be happy to take a look.

I don't suppose it is Guildford Council is it? They are real sticklers for protecting the Green Belt but it seems a blanket approach rather than a case by case basis (which it should be).

We are only based in West Kent and do a lot of work in Surrey.

 

[farmwarren12]

Hello George

Thank you so much! Yes Guildford Council. We definitely felt it was a blanket refusal as no real reasons were given. It would be great if we could get it up and running through Class R.
I’ll send you a message.
Max

ps thanks for signposting Nearly !

 

[onesiedale]

I guess it depends on how far the woods are from the farm building complex.
If you already have livery on site, then presumably there are facilities to service people and vehicle access.
We put in a coffee hatch,(so all outdoors) but stayed within the 'farm yard' boundary. Also ensured that the 25m line from the highway was not crossed. Nothing has been set permanent in the ground. Addition of pods has made the venture more weather proof.
We didn't apply for any form of PP, however we did ask highways staff to come out and point out the rules for access/signs etc.
Kept it all relatively low key and always considerate of the village community.
It is now a cracking little enterprise and a significant part of the overall farm business.

 

[farmwarren12]

Thanks @onesiedale did you get that through permitted development class R? Did you have to apply for a street trading licence too? Any guidance on how you got that going/got them to agree to advertising etc would be really helpful thanks!

 

[George from SJM Planning]

Hello George

Thank you so much! Yes Guildford Council. We definitely felt it was a blanket refusal as no real reasons were given. It would be great if we could get it up and running through Class R.
I’ll send you a message.
Max

ps thanks for signposting Nearly !

Thank you. I have seen it in my inbox and I will take a look tomorrow.

I have a site visit with Guildford at the end of the month to discuss another Green Belt refusal hoping to understand their assessment and stance.

 

[Grass And Grain]

I guess it depends on how far the woods are from the farm building complex.
If you already have livery on site, then presumably there are facilities to service people and vehicle access.
We put in a coffee hatch,(so all outdoors) but stayed within the 'farm yard' boundary. Also ensured that the 25m line from the highway was not crossed. Nothing has been set permanent in the ground. Addition of pods has made the venture more weather proof.
We didn't apply for any form of PP, however we did ask highways staff to come out and point out the rules for access/signs etc.
Kept it all relatively low key and always considerate of the village community.
It is now a cracking little enterprise and a significant part of the overall farm business.

Sounds interesting onesiedale,

What do you mean by the pods? Are they for people to sit in to drink their coffee? Website link?

 

[onesiedale]

Sounds interesting onesiedale,

What do you mean by the pods? Are they for people to sit in to drink their coffee? Website link?

Daltons - Happy Cows, Luxury Taste

Hand-made Ice Creams and Luxury Taste

daltonsdairy.co.uk

 

[onesiedale]

Sounds interesting onesiedale,

What do you mean by the pods? Are they for people to sit in to drink their coffee? Website link?

The Pods.

 

[Grass And Grain]

The Pods.

What a fantastic facility, adding value to the milk etc. I'll be visiting if over your way!