Farm diversification technical consultancy and design management

We have a wealth of experience working with our farming community, designing and delivering sustainable diversification projects on existing farms across the South West.

About farm diversification

Farm diversification means adopting an activity to generate a source of income from non-agricultural work of an entrepreneurial nature, on or off-farm, utilising farm resources.

According to Defra, 71% of farming businesses in England have some form of diversification, up from 60% in ten years. NFU Mutual estimates that 17% of farmers are planning new diversification projects over the next five years, while 40% of those who have already diversified plan to expand further.

class Q barn conversion contemporary design conrwall

Types of farm diversification

There are many ways in which farming businesses can diversify, including:

Retail, including farm shops.
Food production, such as cheese, preserves, meat products, wine.
Renewable energy generation.
The provision of holiday accommodation.
The provision of residential accommodation in the private rental market
The development of residential accommodation for sale
The development of agricultural tied dwellings

Many of these diversification projects require a building that is fit for purpose and appropriate for its setting. Many of our farming clients also want their buildings to have a low environmental impact during construction and once operational.

This often requires the conversion and repurposing, renovation and conservation of underutilised or redundant farm buildings. It may also mean the construction of new buildings on-farm.

Our understanding of farmers and farm businesses means we design buildings that are appropriate, site-specific and consider challenges such as farm machinery movements and animal welfare.

We have a good relationship with and an understanding of Local Planning Authorities in the South West, especially in Devon. This means our designs are appropriate and ensure the planning process is as efficient as possible. We take advantage of relevant planning regulations including Class Q barn conversions and Agricultural Occupancy Conditions.

What is Class Q?

Class Q is part of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015. It allows for a change of use for agricultural buildings or former agricultural buildings to dwellinghouses, including extensions and necessary conversion work, without full planning permission.

We have a proven track record of sensitively designing Class Q barn conversions throughout the South West. See below for a selection of Class Q barn conversion projects.

Our focus is on using natural local materials with contemporary architectural detailing to create a beautiful finish for barns that become bespoke homes, holiday accommodation or commercial premises.

Agricultural tied dwellings

Agricultural tied dwellings come in two forms:

Worker accommodation
Manager accommodation

These two forms provide varying opportunities for a scale of building to reflect the need of both types of worker. Being able to understand these restrictions and therefore design an appropriate response is critical to ensuring the planning process is as efficient as possible.

We work closely with agricultural farming consultants and farmers to understand what accommodation is needed and we create a development plan that minimises disruption occurs to the farm's every day operational use.

Our team of Agricultural Architects

Our RIBA Chartered Practice includes a small, energetic, talented team. Together, we have an impressive breadth of experience covering projects of all sizes, shapes and scale across the UK.

We might be compact in size but our ideas are big, and so are our capabilities. We pride ourselves on delivering outstanding work whilst maintaining a highly personalised, friendly service.

Sustainable architecture and construction

We are members of the Passivhaus Trust and the Association for Environment Conscious Building.

We have certified Passivhaus designers in-house and appreciate the benefits of the Passivhaus approach.

All our projects incorporate its benefits where viable on a practical and financial level. For more information, follow this link.

What our farming clients say about us

The team OCRA team understood our farm immediately. We felt included and listened to throughout and were challenged and pleased in equal measure which has got us our planning approval! I would definitely recommend this team to work with they are professional friendly and super organised. Great team! We look forward to moving further through our process with you guys.

Farmer A.