Preschool renting a church hall

[Kmouse]

We are trying to find clarity on the use of a church hall for a preschool. This would not be the sole use as it is used for many other community groups. We are not a "nursery or creche" so believe we shouldn't have to use a class E premises.

Some opinions we've found state that, if we are only taking families that access the Early Years government funding then we could be seen as an educational business. In addition, we are providing a service to the local community. We are not solely childcare but more about providing early education.

It's been difficult to find an answer and unofficial chats with local planning have highlighted this as well. Appreciate your input.

[Ian Walmsley]

Hi,

Thanks for the post.  

A church hall is usually F1 as it would be ancillary to a church.

Education is F1

I would not normally consider a preschool to be the same as a creche or nursery which is Use Class E. 

Provided that you are undertaking some form of education as opposed to just letting the children play, then I would consider it to be F1 and not require a change of use or planning permission.

I do not normally recommend speaking with the local authority, outside of a formal application, however you could apply for a certificate of proposed use or development to get it confirmed in writing.

Use Class F1 can be found on our site at https://useclass.co.uk/f1

If you would like our help with a certificate of lawfulness, please complete the form at https://planninggeek.co.uk/col