Established use certificate

An established use certificate was a certificate issued by the local planning authority that confirmed the use of premises was an ‘established use’ and so not open to challenge.

This could be useful, for example when negotiating the sale of a property, when it may be necessary to demonstrate that a development has all the necessary permissions.

Established use certificates are no longer granted, having been replaced by a certificate of lawfulness of existing use or development (CLEUD) in 1992.

Existing established use certificates remain valid and unchanged, although they are not considered to have been made under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The essential difference is that established use certificates could provide immunity from enforcement action, but were not evidence that the development was lawful.

In order to convert an established use certificate into a CLEUD, an application needs to be made following the same procedures. For more information see: Certificate of lawfulness.

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[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Avoiding planning permission pitfalls.
• Building preservation notice.
• Certificate of immunity.
• Certificate of lawfulness.
• Change of use class.
• Lawful development certificate.
• Local planning authority.
• Permitted development.
• Planning permission.
• Site selection and acquisition.