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Acorus Ltd

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The Official Acorus page - National Chartered Surveyors and Rural Planning & Design Consultants.

Acorus are a national company specialising in rural development. We specialise in a variety of planning matters and can take a project from inception to completion, and eventual sale if so desired. We have 2 main offices covering the whole of the UK : -
Our South & East office is based in Bury St Edmunds - 01284 753271
Our South West office is based in Exeter - 01392 873900

19/10/2026

The Hot & Cold Season: New Opportunities for Farm Diversification

As the busy season slows down, winter is the perfect time for farmers to plan ahead and explore ways to diversify their income for next year.

Heated glamping tents, accommodation pods, saunas and cold-water dips could help extend your season and create a more consistent income stream throughout the year.

For farmers, your land could be a major selling point. Picturesque countryside views, peaceful rural surroundings or a natural pond could help attract local visitors looking for a relaxing escape or a unique outdoor wellness experience.

With growing interest in outdoor experiences, now could be the time to explore how your farm could offer something different to the local community.

Before deciding what you could offer, it’s important to consider whether planning permission may be required for any new accommodation or facilities. Acorus is ideally placed to help and support you throughout the planning process, guiding you through your application and helping you take the next steps towards making your ideas a reality.

Make the most of the quieter months and start planning for future seasons.

09/10/2026

The Building Safety Levy is a tax on certain types of new residential development in England. It came into operation on 1 October 2026 and is intended to raise funds towards the cost of addressing building safety defects.

The levy generally applies where development creates new residential accommodation, including new homes or dwellings, new bedspaces in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA), and certain changes of use that create residential accommodation. It can also apply to certain extensions or other works where new residential floorspace is created. Developments of fewer than ten dwellings are excluded.

The levy is calculated according to the amount of residential floorspace created, using a rate charged per square metre. The applicable rate varies depending on the local authority area, with higher rates applying in areas where average house prices are higher. A discounted rate may also be available for developments involving previously developed land, where the land meets the definition set out in the regulations.

There are a number of exemptions and exclusions from the levy, depending on the nature of the development. The liability to pay generally arises when the relevant building regulations application or notice is made. However, payment is due before the relevant dwelling is completed or occupied.

Although other organisations may be involved in the building control process, such as the Building Safety Regulator or a Registered Building Control Approver, responsibility for collecting and administering the levy rests with the relevant local authority. Local authorities will subsequently pass the levy revenue to central government, after deducting allowable administration costs. The revenue is required to be used for building safety purposes.

The legal framework for the levy is primarily contained within the Building Safety Levy (England) Regulations 2025, which were made on 19 November 2025. Proposed amendments to the regulations were subsequently laid before Parliament on 2 July 2026. The associated guidance is aimed at developers, those seeking exemptions, building control bodies, Registered Building Control Approvers, the Building Safety Regulator and local authorities.

In simple terms

Where a development in England creates new residential floorspace, the developer may be required to pay a levy based on the amount of floorspace created and the location and type of development. The local authority collects the levy and passes the revenue to central government, where it is ultimately used to contribute towards addressing building safety defects. However, certain developments are excluded or exempt, including developments creating fewer than ten dwellings.

For more information on how this could affect your development and future plans, contact the Acorus design team for further information.

06/10/2026

🏡 Could your land have development potential?

Did you know that, at various points during the planning process, local councils may invite landowners and other stakeholders to put forward sites that could potentially be considered for future development?
This is known as a Call for Sites.

A Call for Sites helps councils understand what land may be available in their area and identify sites that could potentially contribute towards future housing and other development needs.

📍 What does this mean for you as a landowner?

If you put your land forward and the council considers it suitable for inclusion in its evidence base or land supply assessment, it can be a useful indication that the site has been considered as having potential for future development.

However, being accepted through a Call for Sites does not mean you have planning permission. Any future development would still require a planning application and would be assessed against the relevant planning policies and other considerations.

With local councils working to plan for future housing requirements, getting your land considered at the right stage could be an important step in understanding its development potential.

🌳 Could your land be suitable?

At Acorus, we can help landowners understand the Call for Sites process, identify relevant opportunities in their area and prepare a submission where appropriate.

📩 Get in touch with Acorus today to discuss your land and find out whether there is currently a Call for Sites opportunity in your area.

21/09/2026

Approval granted for the opportunity to give an existing horticultural office building a new lease of life under a Class Q application.

Currently used as a reception and office, the timber-clad building is structurally suitable for conversion into a dwelling.

The existing brick and black timber cladding walls, roof tiles and structure will be retained and repaired wherever possible. New windows and doors will be introduced where needed, with service works kept to the minimum required.

The proposal keeps the agricultural character of the building while creating a simple, modern and practical new home, making the most of the existing structure rather than replacing it.

“Class Q — buildings on agricultural units and former agricultural buildings to dwellinghouses”

11/09/2026

As part of the changes to building regulations and the move toward using less carbon in dwellings the way we measure the energy use of new houses will change next year.

Future Homes Standard will be adopted as the yardstick to measure all new houses by. The headlines on this have been the abolition of gas boilers and the requirement to have solar panels but there is more to it.

We currently predict the energy and carbon use of dwellings using a complex calculation called the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). This will change to an even more complex calculation called the Home Energy Model (HEM). The HEM will take data about construction, heating systems, ventilation, insulation, glazing, orientation, solar pv, battery storage and occupancy patterns to produce 17, 520 calculations and give an accurate prediction of the home’s energy use, carbon emissions and running costs.

The software has not yet been finalised, but it looks likely that it will need significantly more information early in any development to make it work.

03/09/2026

As the holiday season starts to wind down, it’s a good time to start thinking about next year.

If you’ve been considering diversifying the farm with camping, glamping, a farm shop, holiday lets or something completely different, now is the time to start looking into it.

These projects can take longer than you might think. Planning permission may be needed, and depending on what you’re looking to do, you could also need design drawings, surveys, ecology, BNG, access and drainage information or other reports. Some surveys can only be carried out at certain times of the year, so leaving everything until the last minute can quickly cause delays.

There’s also the time involved in speaking to the planning authority, preparing an application and waiting for a decision.

With the pressure on farm incomes continuing, diversification is something we’re likely to see more and more of. But getting the right project in place takes planning.

If diversification is something you’ve been thinking about, why not start the conversation now rather than waiting until next spring?

24/08/2026

NPPF 2026 – what could it mean for rural planning?

The Government’s reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework could have significant implications for agriculture, rural businesses and countryside development.

🌾 Greater support for agricultural development and farm modernisation
🏭 Stronger support for rural businesses, investment and diversification
🏡 A clearer approach to housing delivery and sustainable development
🌱 A new approach to development outside settlements through proposed Policy S5
⚡ Continued support for renewable energy and infrastructure
🟢 Changes to Green Belt and Grey Belt policy
🌳 Continued protection for important environmental assets

For rural landowners and businesses, the key message is that the Framework places greater emphasis on supporting rural economic activity, agriculture and appropriate development, while still requiring proposals to address environmental, landscape, transport and other planning considerations.

21/08/2026

Glasshouse conversions are on the rise.

We’re delighted to share an exciting next step for one of our clients’ projects. Building on the success of the Class Q consent to convert a glasshouse, we have now progressed to an improved version of the scheme as a fallback proposal.

Acorus previously secured Class Q consent for conversion to a dwelling, establishing the principle and providing the framework to bring a new home forward on the site.

We have now taken the opportunity to put forward a knockdown and rebuild proposal to committee, retaining the broad principles and character of the original design while improving the overall quality of the building.

The proposal also looks at the wider site, with several of the surrounding buildings proposed for removal. This creates the opportunity to provide more generous amenity space around the new dwelling, resulting in a better setting and a more enjoyable home.

A great example of how a successful Class Q strategy can provide the foundation for an improved, high-quality new dwelling even for glasshouses.

10/08/2026

Our exterior moodboard explores materials, texture and colour that create timeless, low-maintenance architecture rooted in its surroundings.

Thermally modified Brimstone Ash and Western Red Cedar offer durable, naturally weathering timber cladding, while environmentally conscious finishes and charred timber (Yakisugi/Shou Sugi Ban) provide enhanced durability with rich, textured aesthetics inspired by traditional agricultural buildings.

For lower-maintenance solutions, fibre cement and timber-effect cladding deliver the appearance of timber with exceptional longevity. Corrugated fibre cement also references rural agricultural architecture and can often be reused on renovation and Class Q projects.

Natural materials such as stone, flint, brick and clay tile hanging add warmth, texture and a strong connection to local vernacular, while darker timber tones help buildings sit comfortably within the landscape.

Often, just three carefully chosen materials such as timber, stone or brick, paired with dark-framed glazing and considered planting, are enough to create balanced, contemporary exteriors with lasting character.

04/08/2026

Josh Trump graduated last month with an MArch – Master of Architecture.

He has undertaken this as a Graduate Apprenticeship – attending the University of the West of England, Bristol one day a week whilst working within our Acorus Design Team for the other 4 days.

He has had projects to complete that have not necessarily fitted with the projects we do on a daily basis, so has had to put in additional time after working hours to complete the qualification.

Address

The Old Market Office, Risbygate Street
Bury St. Edmunds
IP333AA

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://acorus.co.uk/

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