Dozens of organisations have signed an open letter urging the government to scrap office-to-residential conversions in England, after analysis revealed that almost 28,000 affordable homes have been lost as a result.

Campaigners from local government, housing providers, and homelessness charities are calling for an end to certain permitted development rights (PDR), which grant automatic planning permission and are often used to convert office blocks into housing.

Affordable housing loss under PDR

A major concern is that PDR schemes are not required to provide affordable housing. According to new analysis by the Local Government Association (LGA), nearly 28,000 affordable homes have been lost in the past 11 years due to office-to-residential conversions.

On Monday, parliament will debate an amendment to the planning and infrastructure bill – the government’s flagship legislation to speed up housebuilding – which proposes removing many PDR allowances.

Dorothy Thornhill, vice-president of the LGA and proposer of the amendment, said:

“The impact of certain PDR rules has gone much further than was ever anticipated when they were first bought in. It is time they were scrapped. Councils and communities are losing out significantly because developers are able to circumvent the democratic planning process.”

Growing opposition

The open letter, signed by 39 campaigners, experts and organisations including Shelter, the Town and Country Planning Association, the National Association of Local Councils and the Association of Directors of Public Health, calls on government to back the amendment.

The letter brands the PDR policy “indefensible” and states:

“Many would not meet the most basic fire safety and habitability standards had they been subject to the planning process.”

It goes on to warn:

“Communities lose twice: on the quality and suitability of the homes, and on the schools, transport, green spaces and health services that make neighbourhoods thrive.”

Concerns over quality

The LGA estimates that more than 110,000 houses have been converted from offices under PDR since 2013, meaning councils were unable to insist on affordable housing contributions or check that homes were of good quality, climate-resilient, or appropriately located.

Research has shown PDR homes are often smaller, darker, poorly ventilated, and situated in unsuitable areas such as business parks and industrial estates.

One high-profile example is in Bristol, where campaigners are fighting against people being housed in Imperial Apartments, a former office block converted into 466 flats under PDR. Shelter has reported problems with damp, mould, disrepair, overcrowding, antisocial behaviour and rat infestations.

More than 500 people, including local GPs and charities, have signed a letter urging Bristol City Council to rehouse residents. Families have also highlighted how the heavy security and fire doors left over from the building’s office use, along with thin, poorly insulated walls, make the flats unfit for family life.

Impact on temporary housing

LGA analysis also revealed that around a quarter of the 130,000 families in temporary accommodation could be living in affordable homes today if office conversions had contributed to housing targets.

Louise Gittins, chair of the LGA, described the amendment as potentially transformative:

“PDR allows developers to avoid contributing to affordable housing in the local area which has a real-world impact. A quarter of families in temporary accommodation could be permanently housed.”

Government response

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said:

“The government is delivering the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation backed by £39bn investment.
We recognise there has been criticisms of delivering homes using permitted development rights and that is why we continue to keep these rights under review.”

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