Class MA
Class MA is a permitted development right that allows a building in commercial use class E to be converted into homes in use class C3 without a full planning application, subject to prior approval from the local planning authority. It sits in Schedule 2, Part 3 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 and has applied since 1 August 2021.
From use class E to C3
Use class E covers most commercial, business and service premises, including shops, offices, cafés and restaurants, gyms, clinics and nurseries. Class MA allows any of these to change to use class C3, the class for dwellinghouses, through permitted development rather than a full planning application. It replaced the earlier office-to-residential right (Class O) and the shop-to-residential right (Class M), bringing those routes into one. General industrial premises (use class B2) and storage or distribution premises (use class B8) sit outside class E, so they fall outside Class MA.
The conditions that apply
A building qualifies only if it has been in use class E, or a qualifying earlier use, for a continuous period of at least two years before the prior approval application. Since 5 March 2024 there is no longer any floorspace cap and no requirement for the building to have stood vacant, so larger and still-occupied buildings now qualify. Once prior approval is granted, the conversion must be completed within three years, and the new homes must meet the nationally described space standard. The right delivers C3 dwellinghouses, so using the units as a house in multiple occupation or a short-term let is a separate planning question rather than something Class MA grants.
Prior approval and what the council assesses
Class MA removes the need for full planning permission, but it is not automatic. The owner must apply to the local planning authority for prior approval, which the authority determines within 56 days against a fixed list of matters: transport and highway impact, contamination, flooding, noise from nearby commercial premises, the provision of adequate natural light to all habitable rooms, the impact on the local supply of commercial floorspace, and, in a conservation area, the effect on its character. Fire safety is assessed for buildings of 18 metres or more, or of seven or more storeys. Landlords we work with who have been through prior approval consistently tell us that natural light to habitable rooms is the condition most likely to derail an otherwise sound scheme.
Where Class MA does not apply
Class MA is excluded on listed buildings, scheduled monuments, sites of special scientific interest, safety hazard areas and military explosives storage areas, and in areas of outstanding natural beauty, National Parks, the Broads and World Heritage Sites. It does apply in conservation areas, subject to the character assessment above. A local authority can also switch the right off in a defined area through an Article 4 direction, so the local position must be checked first. Class MA covers the change of use only: new windows, doors or other external works need a separate planning application, as do uses that fall outside class E, such as sui generis premises.
What Class MA means for landlords
For a landlord, Class MA is a route to turn an underused commercial asset into lettable residential stock without the cost and uncertainty of a full planning application. From working with self-managing landlords across the UK, we see these projects most often go wrong not at the planning stage but afterwards, when an owner who has only ever held commercial premises meets the full compliance obligations of a residential tenancy for the first time, from gas and electrical safety to deposit protection and the Renters' Rights Act. The right delivers self-contained C3 homes rather than shared houses, so if the intention is a shared let, converting to an HMO is a different route with its own licensing and planning rules.
Class MA and the law
Class MA was introduced on 1 August 2021 by an amendment to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, where it sits in Schedule 2, Part 3. It relies on use class E, created in September 2020 under the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 as amended. A further amendment in force from 5 March 2024 removed the previous 1,500 square metre floorspace limit and the three-month vacancy requirement. Permitted development rights can be changed by government or withdrawn locally, so the current order should always be the reference point.
Frequently asked questions
Does Class MA need planning permission?
Not a full application. Class MA is a permitted development right, but it still requires prior approval from the local planning authority before any conversion begins, and the authority can refuse it.
Did Class MA replace Class O?
Yes. Class MA replaced the separate office-to-residential right (Class O) and the shop-to-residential right (Class M) from 1 August 2021, consolidating commercial-to-residential conversion into a single right.
Can I convert to an HMO under Class MA?
No. Class MA grants use class C3, which is for dwellinghouses. Operating the units as a house in multiple occupation is a separate change of use with its own planning and licensing requirements.
How long does the prior approval process take?
The local planning authority has 56 days from a valid application to determine prior approval. If it does not decide within that period, deemed consent can apply, provided the application met the Class MA conditions.
