Office to Residential? - It's all about the Drains!

Well, they've been and gone and done it again and no mistake.

In their response to consultation(1) published today concerning the possible conversion of redundant offices space to residential use the Government has stated that:

"We have given very careful consideration to all the points which were raised and have decided to take the following actions:

• to include a new policy in the National Planning Policy Framework1, to be read in the wider context of the Framework document, that local planning authorities ‘…should normally approve planning applications for change to residential use and any associated development from commercial buildings (currently in the B use classes) where there is an identified need for additional housing in that area, provided that there are not strong economic reasons why such development would be inappropriate…’; and

• to amend the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended) to extend existing permitted development rights which allow the space above shops and other town centre uses (A1 and A2 uses) to be converted into a single flat without the need to submit a planning application, to allow for 2 flats"

The aim is to introduce legislation in October 2012 to give effect to these measures.

Fine. Given that housing need is pretty universal, the only limiting criteria is economic need. i.e. the need for office space overriding the need for housing in a specific location. Hard to see this one sticking though but you never know. 

No matter then any question of actual suitability of the space for residential use, visual impact, sustainable locations and all that - or will all this sneak in the back door via the planning process and the wider application of the NPPF (with LPA's then being royally blamed for inhibiting Government initiatives if permissions are not granted). Lets ignore such trifling matters that play space is likely to be around the Business Park entrance sign and most of the windows wont open on modern office space. Hang your washing out in the delivery bay?

And what about the drains? Eh!? 

It is a fundamental law of any development that the drain capacity will inevitably determining scale. Office blocks of whatever kind will not have been developed to residential specifications - not needing all those washing machines, dishwashers, baths etc. The mains drains therefore will not be sized for residential capacity.

Simply encouraging the conversion of any old vacant office space in any old location, just because it is there to be used, may not be a terribly practical way of creating new dwellings; even assuming you can convert the space sufficiently well to provide appealing dwellings for the market. And there I was thinking that the flats market was already flooded.

Now. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for the flexible use of buildings. I have spent a deal of my life securing planning permissions for just that around rural Britain; and the 'Concept of Reversibility' that we apply to schemes is a fundamental precept of economic future-proofing. The thing is we design the buildings for a dual use from the outset.
(1)http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/2172423.pdf