Class MA is the permitted development right that lets commercial buildings in England change to homes without a full planning application. It sits behind most of the office, shop, and surgery conversions we assess. This guide explains how it works in 2026, in plain terms.
The rules changed in March 2024 and a lot of older guidance online is now wrong. There is no longer a size cap and no vacancy test. Here is the current position.
What Class MA is
Class MA sits in Schedule 2 of the General Permitted Development Order. It has applied since 1 August 2021, when it replaced the old office to residential right known as Class O.
It grants planning permission in advance for one specific change: from commercial, business and service use (Class E) to dwellinghouses (Class C3). Because the permission already exists in law, you do not apply for planning permission. You apply for prior approval instead.
Prior approval is a lighter check. The council can only look at a fixed list of matters, and it must decide within 56 days. If it fails to decide in time, the development can usually go ahead by default.
The difference matters commercially. A full planning application is judged against the whole development plan, which brings design, housing mix, and employment policies into play. Prior approval strips most of that away.
What qualifies (Class E use, 2024 rule changes)
The building must have been in Class E use for a continuous period of at least two years before the date of your application. It does not need to be occupied when you apply, but the use history must be Class E.
Proving those two years matters more than most buyers expect. Councils accept leases, business rates records, and planning history as evidence. If the use history is patchy, gather the paperwork before you apply, not after a refusal.
You can convert the whole building or just part of it. A common scheme keeps a shop on the ground floor and turns the upper floors into flats.
Class E is broad. It covers shops, offices, cafes and restaurants, gyms, creches and nurseries, GP surgeries and clinics, financial and professional services, and light industrial units. If the building fits one of these uses, it can qualify.
Two old restrictions were removed on 5 March 2024. The 1,500 square metre floorspace cap went, so buildings of any size now qualify. The rule that the building had to sit vacant for three months before an application went as well.
Some buildings and places are still excluded. Class MA does not apply to listed buildings, scheduled monuments, or sites of special scientific interest. It also does not apply in National Parks, the Broads, National Landscapes (the areas formerly called AONBs), World Heritage Sites, safety hazard areas, or military explosives storage areas.
Conservation areas are the exception. Class MA does apply there, but if the scheme changes the use of the ground floor, the council can assess the effect on the character or sustainability of the area.
The final check is an Article 4 direction. Councils can remove Class MA rights across defined areas, and several city centres are covered. If one applies to your building, you need full planning permission instead.
The prior approval matters: a checklist
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When you apply, the council can only assess the matters below. Work through them one by one before you commit to a building:
- Transport impacts of the development, particularly safe access to the site
- Contamination risks in relation to the building
- Flooding risks in relation to the building
- Noise from nearby commercial premises and its impact on future residents
- Adequate natural light in all habitable rooms
- In a conservation area, the impact of losing ground floor commercial use on the character or sustainability of the area
- The impact on future residents where the area is used for general or heavy industry, waste management, or storage and distribution
- The loss of services where the building houses a registered nursery or a health centre
- Fire safety, where the building is 18 metres or more in height
Natural light is the matter that fails most often. Every habitable room, meaning bedrooms and living spaces, needs adequate daylight. Deep floor plates with windows on only one side cause most refusals.
One further condition applies to every scheme. Homes delivered under permitted development rights must meet the nationally described space standards, which start at 37 square metres for a one person, one bedroom flat.
Approval also comes with a deadline. The conversion must be completed within three years of the prior approval date, so the consent cannot sit unused indefinitely.
What Class MA does not cover
Class MA covers the change of use only. It does not grant permission for external works. New windows, extensions, extra storeys, and significant facade changes all need a separate planning application.
It only applies to Class E buildings. Pubs, hot food takeaways, nightclubs, cinemas, and petrol stations sit outside Class E, so they need full planning permission to become homes.
It is England only. Wales and Scotland run their own planning systems and have no equivalent right.
Prior approval is also not the end of the checks. Building regulations still apply in full, the community infrastructure levy can still be charged, and private matters such as leases and restrictive covenants sit outside planning altogether.
How to check a building fast
You can rule a building in or out in under an hour using public information. This is the sequence we follow:
- Confirm the use history. You need evidence of two continuous years in Class E use, such as leases, business rates records, or planning history.
- Check for Article 4 directions on the council website.
- Check designations. Listed status, conservation areas, and flood zones all appear on free public maps.
- Measure the floor plate. Deep plans with few windows point to daylight problems.
- Look at the neighbours. Late night venues and industrial uses raise noise questions.
A desk check is not a survey. If the building passes on paper, walk it before you commit, because ceiling heights, window positions, and structural surprises only show up in person.
Our free Class MA Checker runs through these questions in a few minutes and tells you whether the right is likely to apply to your building.
If the building passes, the next step is a proper feasibility study before you exchange contracts. Our feasibility package tests the planning route, unit layouts, build costs, and exit values in five days. For the wider process, including costs and programme, read our office conversion guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Class MA prior approval take?
The council must determine the application within 56 days of a valid submission. If it does not decide in time, the development can usually proceed by default. Most applicants allow two to three months from submission to a safe start on site.
Is there still a size limit under Class MA?
No. The 1,500 square metre cap was removed on 5 March 2024, along with the three month vacancy requirement. Buildings of any size can now qualify, provided they meet the two year Class E use condition.
Does Class MA apply in conservation areas?
Yes, unlike most other protected designations. The council gets one extra test: where the ground floor changes use, it can assess the impact on the character or sustainability of the conservation area. Ground floor shops in busy conservation areas are where this test bites hardest.
