The Government has not yet made a decision regarding the extension of office-to-residential permitted development rights. The current deadline is May 2016.
It was expected that ministers would make an announcement confirming the extension before the House of Commons recess.
The temporary right allows developers to convert offices into homes without the need to apply for planning permission.
The coalition government introduced these rights in May 2013, for three years. An extension until 2020 has been anticipated.
However, several councils have complained that their office stock is at risk.
Chief Executive of the British Property Federation (BPF), Melanie Leech, comments: “Office-to-residential is a useful tool that in most places, although not necessarily all, can breathe life into under-used buildings and help use space much more productively.
“We are currently working with Government to ensure that any extension is applied in a sensible and proportionate way.”1