The Rural Planning Co: barn conversion specialist review
Costs verified against BCIS Online (May 2026 release) and ONS Construction Output Price Index, April 2026. Class Q rules current to the 21 May 2025 GPDO amendment.
The Rural Planning Co is a specialist rural planning consultancy with a published class q track record and indicative published fee bands. Coverage: England-wide.
What they do
Specialist rural planning consultancy with a published Class Q track record and indicative published fee bands. Verified against their published website The Rural Planning Co as at 21 June 2026.
Fee model
The Rural Planning Co publishes indicative fee bands on its cost-of-planning resource page. Class Q consultant cost is published at £3,500 to £5,000, with architectural drawings £2,750 to £7,000 in addition. Agricultural-shed applications start at £1,200 to £2,200 total.
When to instruct
- Borderline Class Q where refusal risk is material and an experienced consultant adds win probability.
- Full planning in a sensitive landscape (AONB, Green Belt, listed setting).
- Multi-unit farmstead schemes inside the 10-dwelling / 1,000 m² cap.
When not
- Simple Class Q on a sound single barn in an unrestricted area; a competent local architect may be enough.
- Pure construction-cost questions; that is QS work, not planning consultancy.
Sources cited on this page