Planning, housing, regulation and office-to-residential change of use: report publication

Ben Clifford, Jessica Ferm, Nicola Livingstone and Patricia Canelas from the Bartlett School of Planning have recently completed an original research project to investigate the implications of the conversion of office buildings to residential use being permitted development in England. Using case studies from Camden, Croydon, Leeds, Leicester and Reading, the research considered the implications of this deregulation of planning control in terms of housing quality and financial and planning implications for local authorities and local communities. Comparative case studies from Glasgow and Rotterdam considered alternative approaches to governing this change of use. The research, funded by the RICS Research Trust, will be published on Monday 30 April alongside work undertaken in parallel by the University of Sheffield on permitted development more generally.

At this event, the authors of the UCL report will introduce the report and its main findings, followed by reflections on the report findings and their broader context from Dr Hilde Remøy (TU Delft) and Dr Nancy Holman (LSE), before an open discussion and drinks reception.