Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the class Q permitted development rights, which allow agricultural buildings to be converted to dwellings.

The agricultural to residential permitted development rights were introduced in April 2014 as an important measure to support our rural communities and help provide new homes. The Department collects data quarterly on the number of prior approvals made under the right at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/644594/TablePDR2.xls

In addition to this, the operation of the right was considered in the context of the Government’s Rural Planning Review. The Government's response to the review, published alongside the Housing White Paper, included proposals to expand the right to provide more homes for local people: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/589763/Summary_of_responses_to_the_technical_planning_consultation.pdf.

This consultation closed in May this year and the Department is currently considering responses.