Barn Conversion wins Approval – Client tells Walsingham Planning “It is does not get better than this”

Walsingham Planning has recently secured a Certificate of Lawfulness for the continued use of a barn which was converted in to a residence some years ago without the benefit of planning permission.

Use of the barn as a residence is now wholly legitimate and our client is delighted with a “wonderful result – could not have been better”

In such circumstances it is necessary to prove that the conversion took place long enough ago to have acquired established use rights. Having assessed the circumstances Walsingham Planning advised that a case could be made and worked with the applicant to gather enough evidence to present “cast iron” evidence including bills from statutory undertakers, TV licenses, Pet Passports, official letters etc and sworn statements.

The case was complicated by a past history which included a previous use also established through a Certificate application that had itself by now disappeared together with previous attempts to secure residential development of the site.

These cases require careful attention to detail in order to present the best possible case including the drafting of Statutory Declarations following interviews with the deponent.

In such cases it is not only necessary to show that the use started long enough ago, it is also necessary to show that the use has been continuous and has not changed at all.

It is not always as easy as it might seem to produce unimpeachable evidence of this kind.

Promised changes to the law in the Localism Bill might make some cases much more difficult to handle – great care is needed by anyone finding themselves in such a position – get experienced expert help as soon as possible.

Enforcement, Had a Notice from the Council