<p>The government has launched a consultation which includes proposals to convert shops and agricultural space into new homes.</p> <p><br>Following the controversial decision earlier this year to allow redundant office space to be converted into new housing, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) stated that its latest proposals would ensure better use of economically unviable commercial properties, and provide more affordable homes for rural communities through the conversion of barns and agricultural buildings.</p> <p><br>The rules for retail to residential conversions would carry an upper threshold of 150 sq m, allow the creation of a single dwelling house or a maximum of four flats, and enable the external alterations necessary for the conversion to be carried out.<br><br></p> <p>Planning minister Nick Boles said: “Thousands of empty and underused buildings, often on the edge of town centres, are going to waste because people do not want the hassle and uncertainty of submitting a planning application. Removing this barrier will bring more people closer to their town centres”.</p>