The main effect of this amendment will be that planning authorities will have to consider noise impact on new residents from existing businesses, when considering new residential proposal developments.
Rights
Permitted development rights have been extended in recent years to allow certain developments to take place without the need to go through the full planning system.
The new regulations mean that developers are now required to seek prior approval on noise impact before a change of use from an office to a residential building can be carried out.
Developer proposals to use permitted development rights to convert offices to flats (which are often located immediately above or adjacent to licensed premises) do not require planning permission. However, the new legislation introduces the potential of noise impact from existing commercial uses upon any proposed new flats to be assessed prior to the ‘permitted rights’ being exercised by the developer.
Developers
In essence, developers will now have to demonstrate that such noise sensitive residential proposals will not be exposed to excessive noise from existing, authorised licensed premises. If there are potential noise impacts identified, full details of construction methods for noise attenuation will need to be submitted for approval.
This new ‘development’ (forgive the pun) has been welcomed by UK Music, the Music Venue Trust, The Musicians Union as well as trade bodies. It also goes to the core of what the Publican’s Morning Advertiser has been advocating in its Make Some Noise campaign.
Step in right direction
I also welcome the news. While it does not go as far as the ‘agent-for-change’ principle, it is very much a step in the right direction. You may remember that the agent-for-change principle, if adopted, would require the developer to be responsible for the effective sound proofing of any new residential building to ensure that existing businesses (including music venues) are not suddenly inundated with noise complaints where previously there had been none. In essence, the principle says the person or business responsible for the change is responsible for the impact of the change.
The past few years have seen a gradual improvement of the legislative landscape for music venues, starting with the Live Music Act
2012, various secondary legislation between 2013 and 2015 effectively de-licensing much regulated entertainment until 11pm, changes to planning guidance and indeed Boris Johnson’s recent announcement to set up a ‘night-time commission’ in London, focusing on the significant pressures faced by the night-time economy in our capital.
Impact
What practical effect will this new change to the planning regime have? That, as in most things in life, depends very much on the timing. In the past, I have had clients contact me stating their licence is being threatened with review because of noise nuisance allegedly caused by their pub or bar to the occupants of new flats or houses close by. Often, the only natural legal forum left to deal with the issue of noise is the licensing one. The statutory guidance classes noise nuisance as including ‘low level’ nuisance; a low threshold and difficult to contest.
While in my experience, many licensing sub-committees will explicitly or implicitly allow for the fact that the pub has been there for 100 years whereas the complainants only moved in six months ago, this is not a legal environment in which you really want to find yourself relying on someone’s better nature.
It’s much better to have any potential noise issues ironed out by the developer themselves in noise attenuation works carried out when the development is being built.
Amendment
This is where the amendment to the existing permitted development rights may assist. Class O allows the permitted development right for the conversion of existing offices to residential units. As part of this process, the developer must apply to the local authority seeking determination as to whether prior approval will be required.
Currently, only impacts upon matters such as transport, highways, contamination and flooding need to be considered. However, from 6 April, the impact of noise from commercial premises (eg, your bar or pub) on the intended occupiers of the development will also need to be considered. Operators will be able to make representations to prior approval applications and alert the council to potential noise issues.
In other words, the issue of noise from your premises will have to be dealt with up front by the developer and a proper assessment of those impacts will have to be made.
While this does not constitute the introduction of an agent-of-change principle, the new regulations mark a welcome change in planning law.
With thanks to Jonathan Phillips, group planning partner at Bidwells for his contribution to this article