Successful Change of Use for a much-loved Swimming School...

A former Methodist church in Richmond has been sensitively repurposed into a permanent home for a thriving swimming school—thanks to a strategic change of use application. The article below explores how our planning team addressed heritage, amenity, and design considerations to secure approval and also provides a useful list of key planning questions before embarking on a change of use application.

We were delighted to support a London-based Swimming School with their aspirations to find a permanent home. We had previously helped them with a change of use planning application from a residential pool to a swim school in 2017, which we successfully secured at Planning Appeal. However, the property had been recently sold, and with it went the access to the pool for the swimming school. With a large client base to support, our client had found a promising site for sale in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames. which they felt could lend itself well to a permanent home for their swim school.

Approaching a change of use application

The proposal site was a disused methodist church, which had sat empty for some time. Following an initial attempt to try and secure the change of use under permitted development, we worked with the applicant and Council instead to progress the proposal as a planning application to be assessed and determined against Local and National Planning Policies.

Based on the evidence collated, we felt that key issues, like the impact on neighbouring amenity and the site’s location within a Conservation Area, could be successfully mitigated.

As such, we pulled together a strong project team and prepared and submitted a Change of Use application from a Church (F1) to provide a Flexible Community Facility (Use Class F1) and a Swimming School Use (Use Class F2), associated bin/cycle storage, parking layout and, of course, the construction of a new swimming pool. The application responded to key planning considerations, including:

The loss of a Church – the existing church had attempted to revitalise itself at least three times. The number of attendees was too low due to the presence of similar churches in the immediate locality servicing residents of the same faith. It was for these reasons that the church was on sale.
Principle of proposed change of use – We were able to evidence a strong need for the swimming school in the local area, based on the oversubscription of children’s swimming classes at local leisure centres and the lack of alternative provisions.
Design and Visual Amenity—Clever design from Clive Petch Architects ensured that any external changes were kept to an absolute minimum.
Impacts of a Basement Development—Some element of subterranean development would be required to allow for the swimming pool and associated works. A basement impact assessment was submitted as part of the application to address concerns of how the basement development would come forward in a safe manner without impacting neighbouring buildings.
Impact on neighbouring amenity – we proposed that the class sizes be conditioned, to help control the numbers and potential intensification of use.

We worked proactively with the planning officers at the London Borough of Richmond and are so pleased for our client that approval was granted. It is great to see the project built out, in use, and supporting the education of a life-saving skill within the wider community.

Key planning considerations for a change of use

If you are thinking about applying for a change of use, then we have put together a list of initial key points to consider before you embark on an application:

What is the current use, and what is the proposed use? Are they already interchangeable or do they fall under separate use classes?
Is the unit in use or vacant? If empty, then how long has this been the case? Why has it been empty for that period of time?
Will your proposals intensify use on site? This could relate to opening hours, expected footfall, parking, etc.
Will you need to make any material changes (i.e. change the appearance of the building) to the building to facilitate your proposed use change?
Are there any site designations you should be immediately aware of, for example, is the building listed, or is the site in a Conservation Area, etc.
What timeframe are you working towards? If you are looking to buy or rent a site that requires a change of use, we usually say allow a month to pull an application together and a further two months for the determination period.

In some cases, you may find that what you are proposing doesn’t constitute a change in use and therefore no planning permission is required. That said, you may find the belt and braces approach of a prior approval application or Lawful Development Certificate ensures an official confirmation of this view for you and any future owner/occupiers seeking to continue the same use. It is always important to check that there are no planning conditions or other planning restrictions (such as Article 4 directions) which may prohibit you from introducing your change of use.

If, however, your proposals seek the change of use from one use class to another, are seeking material changes, and/or are subject to complex site designations, then a planning application may well be the best way forward. In any case, speak to our team of planning consultants, who can guide you on the best planning strategy.

About us

We have plenty of experience in securing planning permission for swimming pools – be it changes of use for swim school use, planning permissions for the creation of an entirely new unit, or indeed, for dog hydro-therapy pools! If you need planning assistance with a change of use, certificate of lawfulness, enforcement, or complete planning support on a broader project scope, don’t hesitate to contact us to see how we can best assist. You may also be interested to learn that our sister company, McLoughlin Planning, has a strong track record of securing permissions for bigger sports projects, including recently the approval for a new leisure centre in Sandwell.

We are Plainview Planning, now part of McLoughlin Planning—a solutions-oriented, experienced, and knowledgeable team of planning consultants. If you need professional and informed planning support with your development project, then contact our team via enquiries@plainview.co.uk or call us on 01242 501003, providing the site address and a brief overview of your project. We look forward to helping you.

We value your privacy. Any information you provide will not be shared outside of our company and will only be used in relation to your enquiry.

As always, the content of this article was correct at the time of publication, but for the most up-to-date information on planning topics and policy queries, contact our team.