Permitted development rights for agriculture and forestry

Agricultural is defined as:

• horticulture, fruit growing, market gardens, nurseries and seed growing,
• the breeding and keeping of livestock and dairy farming
• grazing land, meadow land, osier land, and some woodlands.

You will need planning permission for an agricultural building if:

• the agricultural land is less than 0.4 hectares
• the work or building is not for an agricultural purpose
• you're building or extending something to be more than 1000 square meters (456sqm in designated areas), including any other development done in the last 2 years that is within 90 metres.
• you're building something more than12 metres high, or more than 3 metres high within 3km of an aerodrome
• the development will be within 25 metres of a trunk/classified road.
• it involves a building housing animals or for storing slurry or sewage sludge and is within 400 metres of someone's house which isn't part of a farm.
• any building can only be extended once under this class

You will not need planning permission for a forestry building if:

• The building must be for forestry purposes;
• The building cannot be used as a house;
• The building must not be within 25m of a classified or trunk road;
• The height of any part of a building within 3km of an aerodrome must not exceed 3 m;
• Any building can only be extended once under this class.

Applying for a DPA

Developers can submit a prior notification for determination as to whether or not prior approval is required.  The Council has 28 days to respond to prior notification and if we do not respond within that period the development can go ahead.  The Council is likely to respond in every case.  The response will either be prior approval is not required in which case development can proceed or prior approval is required in which case there is further procedure to go through.   
Prior Notification cannot be submitted retrospectively.  

If you have already started works, then planning permission will be required. There is no right for third parties to submit representations to this type of notification.

Submit a DPA application

Your DPA application must include:

• a written description of the proposed development
• the fee
• Location Plan (1:2500 or 1:5000) - this must show the building in the context of the wider area.  The application site must be outlined in red and any adjoining land in the same ownership should be outlined in blue;
• Site plan 1:500 or 1:200;
• Proposed elevations;
• Proposed floor plans.

You can begin work once:

• you have confirmation that prior approval isn't required
• after 28 days of your application being accepted if you've heard nothing to the contrary
• once prior approval has been given if it was needed.

You must carry out your work in accordance with the plans you submitted within 5 years of your application.