The Use Classes Order is the backbone of the English planning system. It categorises every lawful use of land and buildings into classes — and the class a property sits in determines what you can do with it, whether you need planning permission for a change of use, and what permitted development rights are available.
The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020 fundamentally reshaped the system, collapsing multiple classes into a single new Class E (Commercial, Business and Service). If you work in planning, development, surveying, or commercial property, you need to understand the new framework inside out.
This guide covers every use class, what changed in 2020, and what it means in practice.
A Brief History of the Use Classes Order
The Use Classes Order was first introduced in 1987 under the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987. It created a standardised classification system so that changes of use within the same class wouldn't require planning permission — reducing unnecessary applications and giving landowners flexibility.
The system worked reasonably well for three decades, with periodic amendments. But by 2020, the government felt the rigid class structure was holding back the high street and preventing town centres from adapting to changing consumer behaviour. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the case for reform.
What Changed on 1 September 2020
The 2020 amendments made the most significant changes since 1987:
- Classes A1 (Shops), A2 (Financial & Professional Services), A3 (Restaurants & Cafés) were revoked
- Classes B1 (Business — offices, R&D, light industrial) was revoked
- Classes D1 (Non-Residential Institutions) and D2 (Assembly & Leisure) were revoked
- A new Class E (Commercial, Business and Service) was created, absorbing most of the above
- A new Class F.1 (Learning and Non-Residential Institutions) was created
- A new Class F.2 (Local Community) was created
The remaining old classes — A4 (Drinking Establishments), A5 (Hot Food Takeaways), D2 cinemas/concert halls/bingo/dance halls — became sui generis (in a class of their own).
The Current Use Classes — Every Class Explained
Class B — Industrial
- B2 (General Industrial) — Industrial processes other than those in Class E(g). This covers manufacturing, fabrication, and processing that goes beyond "light industrial" (which is now Class E).
- B8 (Storage & Distribution) — Warehousing, distribution centres, and wholesale storage. With the e-commerce boom, B8 sites are among the most sought-after commercial property types in the UK.
Class C — Residential
- C1 (Hotels) — Hotels, boarding houses, and guest houses where no significant element of care is provided. Does not include hostels.
- C2 (Residential Institutions) — Residential care homes, hospitals, nursing homes, boarding schools, residential colleges, and training centres.
- C2A (Secure Residential Institutions) — Prisons, young offenders' institutions, detention centres, secure training centres, custody centres, military barracks.
- C3 (Dwellinghouses) — The standard residential class. Covers a single person or family, up to six people living together as a single household, or up to six people living together who receive care (e.g., supported housing).
- C4 (Houses in Multiple Occupation) — Small HMOs occupied by between 3 and 6 unrelated people sharing basic amenities. Larger HMOs (7+ people) are sui generis.
Class E — Commercial, Business and Service
This is the big one. Class E absorbs what used to be seven separate classes:
- E(a) — Display or retail sale of goods, other than hot food (was A1)
- E(b) — Sale of food and drink for consumption mostly on the premises (was A3)
- E(c) — Financial and professional services (was A2)
- E(d) — Indoor sport, recreation or fitness (was D2 in part)
- E(e) — Medical or health services (was D1 in part)
- E(f) — Crèche, day nursery, day centre (was D1 in part)
- E(g) — Uses which can be carried out in a residential area without detriment:
- E(g)(i) — Offices (was B1a)
- E(g)(ii) — Research and development (was B1b)
- E(g)(iii) — Light industrial processes (was B1c)
Any change of use within Class E does not constitute development and does not require planning permission. A shop can become a gym. An office can become a café. A bank can become a nursery. All without a planning application.
Class F.1 — Learning and Non-Residential Institutions
- Schools, art galleries, museums, public libraries, public halls, exhibition halls, places of worship, law courts
Class F.2 — Local Community
- Small shops (under 280 sqm, selling mostly essential goods, where there's no other such shop within 1km)
- Community halls, outdoor sport/recreation areas (not involving motorised vehicles or firearms), indoor/outdoor swimming pools, skating rinks
Sui Generis — In a Class of Their Own
Uses that don't fall into any class are sui generis. Any change of use to or from a sui generis use always requires planning permission. Common sui generis uses include:
- Drinking establishments (pubs, wine bars) — was A4
- Hot food takeaways — was A5
- Cinemas, concert halls, bingo halls, dance halls — was D2 in part
- Large HMOs (7+ people)
- Hostels
- Petrol filling stations
- Car showrooms
- Scrapyards
- Nightclubs
- Casinos
- Amusement centres
- Laundrettes
- Taxi/vehicle hire businesses
Permitted Development Rights for Changes of Use
Beyond changes within the same class (which aren't development at all), the GPDO grants permitted development rights for certain changes between classes. The most important ones in 2026:
- Class MA — Commercial (Class E) to residential (C3) via prior approval. Subject to conditions including vacancy period, size limits, and flood risk. This is the single most commercially significant PD right in the system.
- Class M — Retail (now part of Class E) to residential (C3) — largely superseded by Class MA but still referenced in some contexts.
- Class O — Offices to residential — also largely superseded by Class MA.
- Class L — C3 to C4 (and vice versa) — small HMO conversions.
- Class Q — Agricultural buildings to residential — up to 5 dwellings, subject to prior approval.
- Class R — Agricultural to commercial (flexible uses).
Common Pitfalls and Misconceptions
1. "It's all Class E now, so I can do anything"
Not quite. Class E is flexible, but there are boundaries. Planning conditions attached to the original permission may restrict the use to a specific sub-class within E. And if the property has a sui generis use (e.g., it's a pub), it cannot freely change to a Class E use — you need planning permission.
2. Confusing "not development" with "permitted development"
A change within the same class is not development — it doesn't need permission and can't be restricted by conditions or Article 4 directions. A change between classes via the GPDO is permitted development — it can be restricted by conditions, Article 4 directions, and prior approval requirements.
3. Ignoring planning conditions
Many older planning permissions include conditions restricting the use to a specific class (e.g., "The premises shall be used as A1 retail and for no other purpose"). Even though A1 no longer exists, these conditions remain enforceable. The property may technically be Class E, but the condition limits it to the retail function within E(a).
4. Not checking the lawful use
Before relying on any change-of-use right, you need to establish the property's lawful use. This means the last use for which planning permission was granted (or which has become lawful through the passage of time). If the lawful use isn't what you think it is, your PD right may not apply.
How LandLens™ Helps
LandLens™ provides a comprehensive Use Classes reference that maps every current and former use class, shows what changed in 2020, and links to the relevant permitted development rights. Combined with our constraint mapping tool, you can check any site's planning context — including Article 4 directions that might affect change-of-use rights — in seconds.
The Bottom Line
The 2020 reforms simplified the Use Classes Order in some respects — Class E gives genuine flexibility for town centre and commercial properties. But they also created new complexity. The interaction between Class E, prior approval rights (Class MA), Article 4 directions, and legacy planning conditions means that professional advice is more important than ever.
Understanding the use classes isn't optional for anyone working in UK planning or development. It's the foundation everything else is built on.