Durham County Council refuses Rowley barn conversion

The application was for a Lawful Development Certificate for the conversion of The Grooms Cupboard, Sycamore Court, Rowley, into a C3 dwellinghouse with associated parking and garden.

The barn was reportedly completed and occupied as a self-contained unit by November 15, 2019. Evidence supporting this claim included tenancy agreements, bank statements, statutory declarations, utility meter readings, and photographs from 2019 to 2024.

Applicants sought the certificate on the basis that the barn had been in this condition for over four years before a legislative change date in April 2024.

However, the application was refused because the Local Planning Authority (LPA) found the information “not sufficient to demonstrate, on the balance of probabilities,” that the change of use had occurred and continued for more than four years.

The LPA ruled the use of the building as an independent dwelling was not shown with enough clarity.

Although physical conversion took place before the required date, the authority considered the occupation by the applicants’ son as “ancillary” due to shared services and familial links.

A second tenant’s occupation beginning in June 2022 also did not meet the required four-year continuous occupation.

Healeyfield Parish Council had objected, arguing the building did not resemble a dwelling externally, and they were unaware of its residential use.