RE: Change of use - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

May I suggest you take a step back. Agriculture is specifically excluded from the definition of development see Sec 55  (2) of the 1990 Planning Act so there is no change of use. It is not permitted development because it is not development 'per se'. You cannot have an appplication for something that is not development. However, agriculture is defined by section 336 of the Act and it includes a requirement that the land be used for the purposes defined in sec 336 of the 1990 Act. So they don't automatically default to agriculture until grazing or some form of other agricultural activity takes place, and i would suggest in the interim there is  a 'nil ' use. I would be careful about the enforcement action too, if it includes unauthorised change of use, it should only apply to engineering operations if there is no agricultural activity. Agricultural pd rights only apply to where there is an established agricultural business ( not hobby ) and the case law goes back toIn R. v. Sevenoaks District Council, ex p. Palley[1995] J.P.L. 915 the court quashed decisions by the Council not to take enforcement action in respect of the erection of a greenhouse. The Council had insufficient material before it on which it could properly have concluded that the land was in use for agriculture for the purposes of a trade or business.   I hope this all helps.

 

A quick google led me to the planner man, with what looks like some useful and relevant thougths on changes to agricultural use:

http://theplannerman.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/when-agricultural-development-isnt.html

Although the engineering works might be a different matter.