Permission for a community growing site
Section 55(2)(e) takes agriculture outside the definition of development, so the growing is usually fine. The structures, access and lighting are what need an application.
Growing food on a piece of land is not development, so a community growing site needs no allotment planning permission for the cultivation itself. Section 55(2)(e) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 takes the use of land for agriculture outside the definition of development, and section 336 defines agriculture to include horticulture and market gardening. The structures are a different matter. Sheds, polytunnels, containers, composting bays, fencing and a parking area are all capable of being development, and on a site under 0.4 hectares there are no agricultural permitted development rights to fall back on.
Whether cultivation needs permission at all
Three situations come up, and they have different answers.
Land already in agricultural use that becomes allotments or a community garden stays in agricultural use. No change of use, no permission needed for the growing.
Land in some other use, such as a redundant depot, a vacant plot or part of a park, that is brought into cultivation. The move into agriculture is a change of use, and because section 55(2)(e) excludes the use of land for agriculture from development, the change itself does not need permission. This surprises people, and it is the reason community groups can often start growing without an application.
Land that is designated open space, a playing field or Local Green Space. Here the planning answer may be the same and the policy and legal answer is not, because the council's own duties and any covenants or trusts over the land come into it. Statutory allotment land has separate protection under the Allotments Acts, and disposal or change requires ministerial consent.
So the honest starting point is that the growing is usually fine and the paraphernalia is what needs attention. A certificate of lawfulness of proposed use or development under section 192 of the 1990 Act is the formal way to confirm it where a landlord or funder wants certainty.
Sheds, polytunnels and containers as development
Permitted development rights for agricultural buildings sit in Part 6 of Schedule 2 to the General Permitted Development Order 2015, and they are tied to the size of the agricultural unit. The fuller rights apply to units of 5 hectares or more, and a reduced set applies to units between 0.4 and 5 hectares. Below 0.4 hectares there are no rights at all.
Most community growing sites are well under half a hectare, which means every structure needs permission unless it is too slight to count as a building or structure in the first place.
| Item | Usual planning position |
|---|---|
| Individual plot sheds, small and movable | Often accepted as de minimis, though councils differ |
| A communal store or tool shed on a base | Operational development, permission normally needed |
| Shipping container | Operational development, frequently resisted on visual grounds |
| Substantial polytunnel on a frame and base | Treat as needing permission unless the council confirms otherwise |
| Raised beds, compost bays, water butts | Normally too slight to be development |
| Greenhouse on a permanent base | Operational development |
| Gates, fences and walls | Part 2 Class A allows up to 1 metre next to a vehicular highway and 2 metres elsewhere |
Polytunnels are the genuine grey area. Whether one is a building depends on size, permanence and degree of attachment to the ground, and councils take different views on the same structure. Where the tunnel is large, bolted to a concrete footing and intended to stay, assume permission is needed and apply. A single application covering the whole site's structures is far easier than a series of retrospective ones.
Group the structures into one application with a schedule and a site plan showing where each goes. Officers assess the cumulative effect anyway, and an application that presents the whole picture is quicker to determine than three applications arriving over two years.
Parking, access and the lane capacity
Access is the single commonest reason these applications attract an objection, particularly where the site is reached by a narrow lane shared with houses.
The council will want to see the number of plots, an estimate of how many vehicles arrive at peak times such as a Saturday morning in May, the parking layout, and whether vehicles can turn so they leave in forward gear. Visibility at the junction with the highway matters, and on a rural lane the highway authority may ask for a passing place.
A hard surface for parking is itself development on this kind of land, so include it. Where the site is in a flood risk area or drains to a watercourse, a permeable surface or a soakaway answer is expected rather than a plain hardcore pad.
Cycle parking and a secure gate are small details that improve an application's reception. So does a statement that plot holders are asked to walk or cycle where they can, if there is a travel plan to back it up.
Water supply, storage and composting
Water is the practical constraint that decides whether a site works.
Rainwater harvesting from shed and polytunnel roofs into butts and tanks is the simplest answer and the one councils like. A mains connection needs an agreement with the water undertaker and a standpipe or trough arrangement, and it is worth asking early because the connection cost drives the budget.
Storage tanks above a certain size become structures. Say what they are, where they go and how tall they are. Composting is normally unproblematic at garden scale, and becomes a planning and environmental permitting question where green waste is brought in from elsewhere in volume, which is a different activity from composting the site's own arisings.
Toilets deserve a line. A composting toilet in a small timber enclosure is a building, and a chemical unit needs an emptying arrangement. Neither is a reason for refusal, and both look better described than discovered.
Green Belt and open space policy positions
Green Belt policy protects openness, and the growing itself is compatible with that: agriculture is appropriate development in the Green Belt and allotments have little effect on openness. Buildings are the problem.
The practical approach in the Green Belt is to minimise built form, keep structures low and grouped rather than scattered, use timber and dark finishes, and avoid shipping containers altogether. Where a store is essential, argue it as a facility ancillary to the agricultural and outdoor recreation use and keep it small.
On designated open space or a playing field, the policy test is about loss of the existing function. Sport England is consulted where playing field land is affected, and a growing site on a disused corner of a park is a much easier case than one on a marked pitch. The parallel with inserting a new community facility into an existing park is close, and the policy reasoning used for a skatepark in a public park applies to a growing site as well.
Where the use will be seasonal or event-based rather than permanent, the temporary use provisions are relevant, and the practical limits of using a field through the summer show how the 28-day allowance behaves.
Security, boundary treatment and lighting
Theft and vandalism are real problems on growing sites and the usual responses have planning consequences.
Fencing up to 2 metres away from a vehicular highway is permitted development under Part 2 Class A, and 1 metre next to such a highway. Taller fencing, or any fencing next to a listed building, needs permission. Hedges need no permission and work better in a rural setting, though they take years.
Lighting is where applications get into trouble. A floodlit growing site in a dark lane is an amenity and ecology issue, and bats commute along hedgerows and treelines. The guidance from the Institution of Lighting Professionals on obtrusive light sets out environmental zones, and in a dark rural zone the answer is usually no permanent lighting, with low-level bollard or movement-activated lighting at the gate at most. Say that in the application and the objection disappears.
An ecology note is worth having even on a small site. A preliminary ecological appraisal covering hedgerows, mature trees, any pond and the potential for reptiles on long-unmanaged ground costs little and heads off a condition requiring surveys at the worst time of year.
A short application pack that works
For a typical site of a few hundred square metres to half a hectare, with a handful of structures, the pack is modest.
- Site location plan and a block plan showing plot layout, structures, parking, water storage and boundaries.
- A schedule of structures with dimensions, materials and finishes.
- Elevations for anything larger than a plot shed.
- A planning statement explaining the use, the community purpose, the access and parking, the management arrangements and the policy position.
- A short management plan covering opening hours, plot allocation, waste, composting and who is responsible.
- An ecology note and a lighting statement.
- A drainage note where a hard surface is proposed.
Two things lift an application of this kind. Name the group and the tenure arrangement, because a lease or licence from the landowner shows the scheme is real. And offer conditions yourself: hours of use, no external lighting, structures as approved. Offering the control the council would impose anyway removes the reason to refuse.
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This is general guidance, not legal advice. Check the position with your local planning authority or a qualified professional before relying on it. PlanScope provides AI-assisted draft reports for planning applications. Reports should be reviewed before submission. We do not guarantee planning approval.
Frequently asked questions
Do allotments need planning permission?
The cultivation itself usually does not. Section 55(2)(e) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 takes the use of land for agriculture outside the definition of development, and section 336 includes horticulture and market gardening within agriculture. Structures, hard surfacing, lighting and access works are a separate question and generally do need permission.
Does a shed on an allotment need planning permission?
Small movable plot sheds are often treated as too slight to be development, though councils differ. A communal store on a base, a greenhouse on permanent footings or a shipping container is operational development and normally needs permission. Below 0.4 hectares there are no agricultural permitted development rights to rely on.
Is a polytunnel development for planning purposes?
It depends on size, permanence and how far it is attached to the ground, and councils reach different conclusions on similar structures. Where a tunnel is large, fixed to footings and intended to stay, assume permission is needed. A single application covering all the site's structures is simpler than retrospective applications later.
Can a community growing site go in the Green Belt?
The growing itself is compatible with Green Belt openness, since agriculture is appropriate development there. Buildings are the difficulty. Keep structures low, grouped and timber-finished, avoid shipping containers, and justify any store as a facility ancillary to the agricultural and outdoor recreation use.
What about lighting and fencing on a growing site?
Fencing up to 2 metres is permitted development away from a vehicular highway and 1 metre next to one. Lighting is the sensitive item: in a dark rural setting, expect objections to permanent floodlighting, and propose movement-activated low-level lighting at the gate at most, referencing the lighting institution's environmental zones.
Sources and further reading
This article is general guidance about the planning system in England and, where stated, the rest of the UK. It is not legal or professional advice. Check your local planning authority’s validation requirements and take professional advice for your specific site.