Following the British Film Commission’s work with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, and with support from Filming in England, we’re delighted to see today’s expansion of Permitted Development Rights (PDR) in England, which allows the temporary use of buildings or land for film-making purposes.

PDRs allow productions to avoid having to apply for full Temporary Change of Use planning permissions, which can be a time-consuming and costly process.

The existing PDR was a result of extensive work led by the BFC in 2014/15.

Since then, it became clear that, while useful, the measure could be improved. The changes introduced today:

• increase the maximum period of time that land or a building can be used for the purpose of commercial film-making from 9 months to 12 months in any 27 month period;
• double the maximum area of land that the permitted development right applies to from 1.5 hectares to 3 hectares;
• increase the maximum height of any temporary structure, works, plant or machinery provided under the permitted development right from 15 metres to 20 metres.

More information here: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development etc.) (England) (Amendment) Order 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)

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