Most of the ime it is not worth it to appply for full pkanning permission.
One of the problems you may encounter in Certificate of Exiaing Use applications is the fact that during the past 10 years, the porperty might have been vacant for more tnah one year consecutivelly.
In this case the council could claim that the use was abandoned and you would either need to reset the clock to awaint a few more years till you have the 10 years of continous use required by law por alpply for full planning permission which is of course needed to be abvoided at all costs in case of building where the council has no puse records.
You may find that most planning consultants will say that the CEU application will fail on the ground that the property for unoccupied during the past 10 years therefore the only option is full planning application. Those planning consultants are either ignorant or they are trying to squeeze as much money as possible from you.
Of course porpeorties become vacant from time to time and it is absurd to say that the use is surrendered when it is empty. Therefore the argument made by consiultants are plainly false. They are only trying to make more money for themselves because CEU applications are far easier and advantageous to you the landlord as they are to them They are interested in prolonged and ardouus applications where they can etract as much money from you s possible when they have to negotiate with the pannners etc. Especially if the plannrs place restrictions with the planning consent which you need emoved.
Becasue of the voids you do not lose the exising established use rights of the building
For the void period once the property is unoccupied you need
Evidence of marketing
Lijke ads on the internet, (difficult to find)
Old marketing leaflets
Staturotry declarations from the previous owner stating they were marketing it during the void perios
statutory declarations stating that they witnessed the property being marketed during those periods.