# Agricultural Building Cost

> What an agricultural building really costs: frame type, span, eaves height, cladding, slab and groundworks all move the price. Free quotes from farm contractors.

## Key facts

- Agricultural building quotes are not comparable unless groundworks, the concrete slab, drainage and doors are each priced as separate line items, because those are the scopes most often left out of a headline frame price.
- In England, Class A agricultural permitted development applies to agricultural units of 5 hectares or more, and does not permit a building whose ground area would exceed 1,500 square metres (GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 6).
- Under Class A the developer must apply to the local planning authority before beginning development for a determination on whether prior approval is required as to siting, design and external appearance, and must not start until the authority responds or 28 days pass without a determination.

## Key pages

- [What does an agricultural building cost?](https://agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk/): the main tool, answer above the fold.
- [Agricultural building cost per square metre: why the rate misleads](https://agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk/agricultural-building-cost-per-square-metre/): A single rate per square metre cannot price a farm building. What changes the number: span, eaves height, cladding, slab, doors and access, plus how to compare quotes.
- [Agricultural building planning permission and prior approval](https://agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk/agricultural-building-planning-permission/): When a farm building needs planning permission in England, what Class A permitted development allows on units of 5 hectares or more, and how prior approval works.
- [Steel portal frame vs timber frame agricultural buildings](https://agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk/steel-frame-vs-timber-agricultural-buildings/): Steel portal frame or timber for a farm building: how span, eaves height, livestock, corrosion and lead times decide the frame, and what to ask each supplier.
- [Agricultural building contractors: how to compare farm building quotes](https://agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk/agricultural-building-contractors/): How to compare agricultural building contractors: scope, exclusions, ground risk, structural design, payment stages and lead times, with the questions that expose gaps.
- [What sets the price of an agricultural building, 2026](https://agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk/#data): original data table, updated 2026-08-14.
- [Full site content as markdown](https://agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk/llms-full.txt)

## Data

- What sets the price of an agricultural building, 2026. Methodology: This is a cost driver table, not a price table. Each row names a specification decision that contractors price separately, explains the direction it moves a quote, and gives the wording that forces the item into the quote so competing prices cover the same scope. It is built from the way agricultural building tenders are structured, not from a survey of prices, and it carries no figures because a single rate per square metre cannot honestly describe a market this variable. Statutory limits referenced in the planning row are cited to legislation.gov.uk. For your number, get quotes for your actual building.
- Last updated: 2026-08-14. Every figure cites its source inline.
- Source: legislation.gov.uk. GPDO 2015, Schedule 2 Part 6 Class A, agricultural development on units of 5 hectares or more: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/schedule/2/part/6/crossheading/class-a-agricultural-development-on-units-of-5-hectares-or-more
- Source: legislation.gov.uk. GPDO 2015, Schedule 2 Part 6 Class B, agricultural development on units of less than 5 hectares: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/schedule/2/part/6/crossheading/class-b-agricultural-development-on-units-of-less-than-5-hectares
- Source: gov.uk. When is permission required (planning practice guidance): https://www.gov.uk/guidance/when-is-permission-required
- Source: gov.uk. Building regulations approval: https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval

## Citation

Cite as: "What sets the price of an agricultural building, 2026", Agricultural Building Cost, https://agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14).

## About

- Agricultural Building Cost is a free introduction service. We are not a construction firm, a planning consultancy or a structural engineer, and nothing here is planning, structural or legal advice. We are not affiliated with any government department, local planning authority or trade body named on this site. We pass your details to agricultural building and grain store firms who quote you directly; we may receive a fee from providers, you pay nothing and are under no obligation. Statutory limits quoted are cited to legislation.gov.uk and were checked on the date shown, permitted development rights change, so confirm the current position with your local planning authority.
- Operated by agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk. Contact: quotes@agriculturalbuildingcost.co.uk