Permitted development rights under Class MA came into force from 21 April 2021 (SI 2021 No.428) and have been revised several times since in order to introduce requirements relating to daylight and sunlight and, for buildings over 18m, fire safety, as well as the more recent omission of the 1,500sqm floor space minima and 3 months’ vacancy occupation.

In a highly competitive climate for convertible stock, developers continue to seek as much value as possible from conversion and development schemes, either as a fall-back to a more ambitious scheme or to establish a new base value for development sites.

Effective and successful Class MA applications require a considered and strategic approach to these applications to manage risk and time, as well as enhance the prospect of consent for the optimum number of units, in the least possible time.

All references to Class MA in this article are to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 as of April 2026.

The Application ‘Clock’
Council officers generally have to try to process applications and determine them within certain set time periods, such as eight weeks for most applications up to 1,000sqm or 10 units, or 13 weeks for larger applications. This can be extended by agreement with applicants.

If a Class MA application is submitted, then the developer obtains deemed approval by law after 56 days (eight weeks) if the Council has not determined it in time. This means that if officers are struggling to review a case promptly in this time, and issues arise such as a lack of information in the application or minor changes to the plans or clarifications needed, then some Council officers would rather issue a refusal then let the matter drift past 56 days, which then puts the risk back on to the developer’s shoulders.