FOI request (FOIR-170956996)

Conversion of office premises

Requested Wed 29 January 2020
Responded  Thu 27 February 2020

In 2013, planning legislation was changed to allow conversion of office premises to residential use under permitted development rights without seeking planning permission. This was provided for under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Amendment) (England) Order 2013: A temporary permitted development right for change of use from offices (Class B1(a)) to residential (Class C3).

1. Please would you let me know in writing if you hold information of the following description:

A list of all properties (and the names of the developers/company owners) in your council which have been granted permission to convert office space to residential use since the introduction of this legislation.

2. Please also provide an annual breakdown, since 2013/14, of money paid by the council to the owners of said properties (or properties of this type in other areas) for the housing, temporary or otherwise, of residents.

3. Where possible, please stipulate the nightly rate charged by the companies providing housing and the number and age of occupants (or merely a breakdown of the occupants into adults and minors). For example:

2014/15: The council paid Company A, providing temporary accommodation in a property converted from office space to residential under the aforementioned government Act, £XXX over the financial year to house X number of residents. X number of residents were adults, Y were minors. Company A charged a fee of £X per night/per occupant/residential unit.

2014/15: The council paid Company B...£XXX to house X number of residents...in a property outside of the council's catchment area.

Response

Q1 - You can search all planning applications for the change of use from B1 to C3 using public access. The applicant's name will be available to view on the application form. https://www.hastings.gov.uk/planning/searching/public-access-guides/Searching_applications/

Q2 = As we don't hold a list of properties as per question above, we are unable to answer this question. However, money that has been spent on housing people in temporary and emergency accommodation can be found on our website https://www.hastings.gov.uk/my-council/transparency/budgets/.

Q3 = Number of people in temporary accommodation can be found on https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness.

The nightly rate charged varies depending on the type of property and the number of people in the household. Average daily costs January - December 2018 = Average £36.69/day.

Money that has been spent on housing people in temporary and emergency accommodation can be found on our website https://www.hastings.gov.uk/my-council/transparency/budgets/.