London Borough Hits Out At CLG after Losing 50,000 Sq. Ft of Office Space to New Homes

A London borough claims 50,000 sq. ft of office space has been lost to new homes after government changes to the planning system. Last year the government announced new permitted development rights to allow office to residential conversions in a bid to boost housing supply. But Richmond Council claims the move has hit business growth and "decimated" office space. The council explains: "Richmond’s booming property market has already led to the displacement of many businesses as a result of granted prior approvals. However, officials at the CLG believed as few as five extra conversion projects across England would be completed per year as a result of the changes. In Richmond alone, 133 schemes were granted ‘prior approval’ in 16 months since the change became law." Read more on 24dash.