Converting a Shop Into a Commercial Kitchen

August 3, 2026

Converting a shop into a commercial kitchen is possible only if the premises can support the proposed use, extraction route, utilities, hygiene layout, fire strategy and neighbour impact. The biggest mistake is signing a lease because the room looks large enough before confirming permission to install ductwork and the capacity of gas, power, water and drainage.

Check lawful use and planning first

In England, the planning use-class system changed in 2020, and old references to A1, A3 and A5 can be misleading. Restaurants/cafés and retail may fall within Class E in some circumstances, while hot-food takeaway use is treated differently. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own planning systems.

Even if a change of use is not required, external flues, ductwork, fans, opening hours, noise or other works may need permission. Existing planning conditions may restrict cooking or hours.

Obtain project-specific advice from the relevant planning authority or consultant. Do not rely on an agent's statement that the previous tenant “did food”.

Read the lease for physical rights

The design may need to pass through parts of the building outside the demise.

Check rights and approvals for:

wall and roof penetrations;
external ductwork and plant;
roof access;
risers and service routes;
structural supports;
signs and shopfront changes;
gas-meter or electrical upgrades;
grease traps and drainage changes;
access for cleaning and maintenance;
operating, delivery and waste hours;
reinstatement at the end of the lease.

Landlord consent does not replace planning or Building Regulations, but without the necessary property rights the technically best design may be impossible.

Find the complete extraction route

Trace the route from cookline to final discharge before deciding equipment positions.

Survey:

ceiling height and voids;
upper floors and ownership;
potential risers;
structural and fire compartments;
external appearance;
nearby windows and balconies;
roof height and access;
space for fans, silencers and odour control;
cleaning access along the route;
replacement-air route;
noise and vibration transmission.

A rear wall discharge into a courtyard can appear cheap but create severe odour, noise and planning problems.

Neighbours can determine feasibility

Record sensitive receptors in three dimensions:

flats above and beside the unit;
opening windows;
balconies and roof terraces;
hotel rooms;
offices or treatment rooms;
air-conditioning intakes;
neighbouring restaurant extracts;
bedrooms facing a rear yard.

Cooking type and hours matter. A daytime bakery and late-night fried-food operation create different risk even in the same unit.

EMAQ+ guidance may be used for kitchen odour assessment, and the council may ask for a specialist report. Check before committing to low-level discharge or a complex filtration workaround.

Verify utilities rather than assuming

Gas

Identify the meter/supply and proposed appliance load. A commercial catering Gas Safe engineer must assess capacity, pipework, ventilation and interlock requirements.

Electricity

Confirm the actual incoming capacity, phase, distribution and upgrade route. Electric cooking, warewashing, refrigeration, hot water, fans and odour equipment can create a large combined demand.

Water and hot water

Check pressure, flow, water quality and hot-water production for hand washing, equipment, cleaning and service.

Drainage

Locate soil/waste routes, levels and capacity. Consider grease management, floor drainage, condensate and high-temperature equipment discharge.

Do not sign a fixed-price equipment contract until the service assumptions are validated.

Food-hygiene layout

The unit must support hygienic flow and cleaning. Consider:

delivery and storage;
raw and ready-to-eat separation;
hand-wash basin positioning;
equipment and food washing;
cold and dry storage;
cooking and service;
dirty returns and warewashing;
waste route and bin storage;
staff changing and toilets;
cleanable surfaces and access behind equipment;
pest-proofing and condensation.

The Food Standards Agency's business guidance should inform design alongside early discussion with the local authority.

Fire and building work

The conversion can affect:

escape routes and occupancy;
compartment walls and floors;
grease extract passing through the building;
fire-resisting duct or enclosure;
penetration sealing;
alarms, emergency lighting and suppression;
structure supporting heavy plant;
access and inclusive design;
drainage, ventilation and combustion requirements.

Obtain competent building-control and fire advice. A contractor's quotation for a canopy is not a building fire strategy.

Delivery and replacement access

Measure:

shopfront and rear doors;
corridor widths and turns;
stairs and lifts;
thresholds and floor levels;
loading restrictions;
pavement or highway permits;
lifting routes to the roof;
floor loading;
how equipment can be removed for service.

Large appliances sometimes fit the kitchen but not the route into it.

A pre-lease go/no-go checklist

Do not commit until you understand:

lawful use and planning risk;
landlord/freeholder consent;
viable extract and supply-air routes;
neighbour odour/noise risk;
gas/electrical capacity;
water and drainage feasibility;
fire/building constraints;
food-hygiene layout;
delivery and maintenance access;
budget and programme allowances for approvals and upgrades.

Record assumptions and make lease commitment conditional where appropriate professional advice supports that approach.

Survey the premises before the lease decides the design

The KIG 221 Commercial Kitchen Site Survey Sheet provides a repeatable framework for recording the constraints that determine whether a unit is genuinely suitable.

Sources and further reading

This is general UK guidance, not planning, lease or design advice. Planning systems and building requirements vary by nation, authority and site. Obtain competent advice before entering a commitment. Last reviewed: 13 August 2026.