What is Class B Planning Usage?

Use class B - Business (This use class has been replaced with Use Class E as of 1st September 2020). 

Use Class E of the Use Classes Order 1987 (as amended) was introduced by the Government on 1st September 2020 and covers the former use classes of A1 (shops), A2 (financial and professional), A3 (restaurants and cafes) and parts of D1 (non-residential institutions) and D2 (assembly and leisure) and puts them all into one new use class.

Use Class E – Commercial, Business and Service

Use, or part use, for all or any of the following purposes:

a) for the display or retail sale of goods, other than hot food, principally to visiting members of the public, (shops – formally use class A1)

b) for the sale of food and drink principally to visiting members of the public where consumption of that food and drink is mostly undertaken on the premises, (cafes and restaurants – formally use class A3)

c) for the provision of the following kinds of services principally to visiting members of the public—

(i) financial services, (banks and building societies – formally use class A2)

(ii) professional services (other than health or medical services), or (estate and employment agencies etc. – formally use class A2)

(iii) any other services which it is appropriate to provide in a commercial, business or service locality,

d) for indoor sport, recreation or fitness, not involving motorised vehicles or firearms, principally to visiting members of the public,

e) for the provision of medical or health services, principally to visiting members of the public, except the use of premises attached to the residence of the consultant or practitioner, (Doctors, clinics & health centres, acupuncture clinic etc. (must be medical or health related)) (but not beauticians, nail bars, massage parlours etc which are now “Sui Generis” formally use class D1(a)) ,

f) for a creche, day nursery or day centre, not including a residential use, principally to visiting members of the public,

g) for—

(i) an office to carry out any operational or administrative functions, (Offices – formally use class B1(a))

(ii) the research and development of products or processes, or  (formally use class B1(b))

(iii) any industrial process, being a use, which can be carried out in any residential area without detriment to the amenity of that area by reason of noise, vibration, smell, fumes, smoke, soot, ash, dust or grit.  (Light Industrial – formally use class B1(c))

Where a property falls within two use classes then it will be classed as “Sui Generis”. The one exception is a building with Class E, sub-paragraph (g) (or B1 prior to September 1st 2020) & B2 use as long as the section allocated to B2 is not substantially increased.

If you wish to discuss the above changes to the Use Classes or to enquire further about our services and how we can help you with your change of use project, please give us a ring or email us: enquiries@4dplanning.com

The former B1 uses classes (prior to 1st Septmber 2020) included the following:

 - Business 
Class B1 is use for the following purposes:
*  B1(a) is for use as an office other than a use within class A2 (financial and professional services),
*  for research and development of products or processes, or
*  B1(c) is for use for any light industrial process, being a use which can be carried out in any residential area without detriment to the amenity of that area by reason of noise, vibration, smell, fumes, smoke, soot, ash, dust or grit.

B2 – General Industrial
Class B2 building use is for the carrying on of an industrial process other than one falling within class B1 above or within classes B3 to B7 below.

B3 – Special Industrial
Class B3 building use is for any work registrable under the Alkali, etc. Works Regulation Act 1906[5] and which is not included in any of classes B4 to B7 below.

B4 – Special Industrial
Class B4 building use is for any of the following processes, except where the process is ancillary to the getting, dressing or treatment of minerals and is carried on in or adjacent to a quarry or mine:
* smelting, calcining, sintering or reducing ores, minerals, concentrates or mattes
* converting, refining, re-heating, annealing, hardening, melting, carburising, forging or casting metals or alloys other than pressure die-casting
* recovering metal from scrap or drosses or ashes
* galvanizing
* pickling or treating metal in acid
* chromium plating

B5 – Special Industrial
Class B5 building use is for any of the following processes, except where the process is ancillary to the getting, dressing or treatment of minerals and is carried on in or adjacent to a quarry or mine
* burning bricks or pipes
* burning lime or dolomite
* producing zinc oxide, cement or alumina
* foaming, crushing, screening or heating minerals or slag
* processing pulverized fuel ash by heat (f) producing carbonate of lime or hydrated lime
* producing inorganic pigments by calcining, roasting or grinding

B6 – Special Industrial
Class B6 building use is for any of the following processes:
* distilling, refining or blending oils (other than petroleum or petroleum products)
* producing or using cellulose or using other pressure sprayed metal finishes (other than in vehicle repair workshops in connection with minor repairs, or the application of plastic powder by the use of fluidised bed and electrostatic spray techniques)
* boiling linseed oil or running gum
* processes involving the use of hot pitch or bitumen (except the use of bitumen in the manufacture of roofing felt at temperatures not exceeding 220°C and also the manufacture of coated roadstone)
* stoving enamelled ware;
* producing aliphatic esters of the lower fatty acids, butyric acid, caramel, hexamine, iodoform, napthols, resin products (excluding plastic moulding or extrusion operations and producing plastic sheets, rods, tubes, filaments, fibres or optical components produced by casting, calendering, moulding, shaping or extrusion), salicylic acid or sulphonated organic compounds;
* producing rubber from scrap
* chemical processes in which chlorphenols or chlorcresols are used as intermediates
* manufacturing acetylene from calcium carbide
* manufacturing, recovering or using pyridine or picolines, any methyl or ethyl amine or acrylates

B7 – Special Industrial
Class B7 building use is for carrying on any of the following industries, businesses or trades
* Boiling blood, chitterlings, nettlings or soap
* Boiling, burning, grinding or steaming bones
* Boiling or cleaning tripe
* Breeding maggots from putrescible animal matter
* Cleaning, adapting or treating animal hair
* Curing fish
* Dealing in rags and bones (including receiving, storing, sorting or manipulating rags in, or likely to become in, an offensive condition, or any bones, rabbit skins, fat or putrescible animal products of a similar nature)
* Dressing or scraping fish skins
* Drying skins
* Making manure from bones, fish, offal, blood, spent hops, beans or other putrescible animal or vegetable matter
* Making or scraping guts
* Manufacturing animal charcoal, blood albumen, candles, catgut, glue, fish oil, size or feeding stuff for animals or poultry from meat, fish, blood, bone, feathers, fat or animal offal either in an offensive condition or subjected to any process causing noxious or injurious effluvia
* Melting, refining or extracting fat or tallow
* Preparing skins for working

B8 – Distribution or Storage 
B8 building use is for storage or as a distribution centre.

As mentioned above, the new Use Class is Class E and supersedes Use Class B.

For further information or to seek our assistance with your planning application please get in touch.