XFS 70 Posted September 26, 2017 Ok, I, am thinking about leasing a premises with B1 permitted use. My car sales business is by appointment only and the main use for the building is repairs, prep and storage. As I said we will not be open for walk ins, viewings strictly by appointment. Yes, I know it's restrictive, but I simply don't have the patience to deal with the riff-raff. And I genuinely like to give my customers my undecided attention. There are already a couple of auto businesses on site, one operating classic car renovation business with ancillary sales and the other a straight repair garage. What do you guys recon about planning? Do I need to apply for car sales planning or just wing it? I don't want to ask the planning people if I need planning as they will be alerted and then do their best to complicate things anyway. I suppose in theory I could just drive the customer to my house and do the deal there, but my idea is that I want home and business entirely separate. Any of you guys have experience with this type of situation? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
It's me 611 Posted September 26, 2017 i rented a fairly large unit a number of years ago to stow overflow cars in,i got it for a bargain price and was happy,however a year and a day after i had moved in i got a very serious letter from the council they argued that although the classification was warehousing by storing cars this no longer held water,i managed to wing it and walk away,would i try it again ? no why? because im sure it was a competitor dat bubbled me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Max Branning 149 Posted September 26, 2017 If the unit is known to be used for motor trade use as in repairs then you should be ok, the problem starts when you line 6 or 7 cars up in front of the unit with sale boards in the windows, then you are obviously operating as a "car sales" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 11 Posted September 27, 2017 (edited) Seem to be lots of people trading from farms and/or yards and outbuildings of their big homes and gardens at the moment. I supose it must work for them and they get to keep all their cars in one place and up their inventory of stock would much rather have a nice roadside sales plot though for passing traffic Edited September 27, 2017 by Jimbo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Max Branning 149 Posted September 28, 2017 11 hours ago, Jimbo said: Seem to be lots of people trading from farms and/or yards and outbuildings of their big homes and gardens at the moment. I supose it must work for them and they get to keep all their cars in one place and up their inventory of stock would much rather have a nice roadside sales plot though for passing traffic Nice roadside sales plots cost a lot of money. The reason more and more people are trading from home / unit / farm is simply lower overheads. One bloke on here said he has 10 lock up garages probably rented off the council ! Try getting planning for that as a car sales ! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimbo 11 Posted September 28, 2017 Good point mate plus a nice farm and nice surroundings can actually be quite appealing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Max Branning 149 Posted September 28, 2017 23 minutes ago, Jimbo said: Good point mate plus a nice farm and nice surroundings can actually be quite appealing As long as your customers have not got to traipse through piles of horse shit to get to the cars ! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rory RSC 596 Posted September 28, 2017 Who needs a roadside pitch? They all use sat nav and they all search online to find you. Industrial estate pitch or an indoor warehouse is probably the best bet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
umesh 336 Posted September 28, 2017 Wouldn't wing it mate ! Defo get planning if you'er going to go with it as already said get away for a while , start building up the business then BANG ! ! Not easy to get retro planning either if they are stubborn ! Customers buying habits are changing -- road site sites do work - but if you get your marketing right then warehouse is great idea ! Decide what /how you want to build your business plus availability in your area is a major factor ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XFS 70 Posted September 28, 2017 Thanks for the input guys, I'm having a site meeting tomorrow with the agents, so I think I,ll go with the caveat "subject to suitable planning consent" I really want this place, it's the first location I,ve seen that has made me go, yeah, I must have this. I don't want a sales pitch or anything roadside, the last thing I want is random walk ins. I,m a bit like Arthur Dealy, unless they are actually coming to buy a car, then I don't want to know:) April was the last time somebody appointed failed to buy. But I do definitely want somewhere I can store and prep all my cars under cover and in space and comfort. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BCC 9 Posted September 28, 2017 We work out of an industrial Unit / car park which we have converted into a showroom and forecourt. We don't sell many cars locally, most people travel so I think a roadside location wouldn't benefit us much. I can see how it would help with normal everyday cars though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arfur Dealy 823 Posted September 28, 2017 XfS, I think your first priority is to call planning, explain your business to them... Thell will tell you their feelings on whether B1 (warehouse) will be viable for your business. Everything else is just a waste of time until you've got your foundations right:) best of luck! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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