shipping container in back garden
hey all I'm looking at getting a 16ft shipping container welfare unit to use as a kitchen in my back garden and just wondered if anyone has used a shipping container before as a home work office or for business use at home and what the planning process was like for it.
I currently run a small chocolate business from home using the kitchen in the house. I have all the kitchen signed off by the local food hygiene inspectors from the council. The kitchen isn't the biggest and want a dedicated space to not only store my moulds and equipment but also make the products I sell. I'm not in a position to have an extension built to the property (I own) but have looked into getting a welfare unit shipping contain and having it lifted into my back garden and then converting that into a fully functional kitchen.
I don't have any oversized deliverys and nor do I have any customers visit me at my property. being a kitchen there will be the need for waste water fresh water and electricity. the garden Is fairly large and the shipping container wouldn't take up more than a 3rd of the garden so space wise under pd I think I'd be fine. also the kitchen would only be used by myself and potentially a family member that lives at the same address and I don't plan on hiring anyone in the near future either. I am awear that a shipping container is slightly higher than the 2.5m PD rights allow and it would be within 2m of a shared boundary.
in terms of equipment in the kitchen it would be a small electric toaster oven, 2 chocolate machines both run of standard 240v 3pin, a microwave, an induction hop so no open flames, fridge, freezer, sinksx2 , and maybe an aircon unit though I know I'd need some sort of extraction unit fitted so a domestic one probably as I don't use that much items of oven or hob. Also the machines I use don't make much noise and I'd be using the kitchen within a standard 9am-5pm day and latest by 9pm should I need too work late but never before 9 as I'm not a morning person lol.
I have never applied for planning permission and to be honest woudnt know where to start or anything. I really don't get on with one of my neibours and just want a quick option hence a pre-built container that could be lifted into place rather than have a brick building built. I also don't really want them knowing about my business as they have caused me alot of stress over the years causing damage to property and vehicles and their landlord doesn't seem to care neither do the police. so should I need to get them involved in the planning process would they be told what the container is for ie all about my business what I do the company name ect or would it be just a vague description saying its for a kitchen and what times it would be in use. as Id rather tell them as little as possible and just get the thing built so I can separate my work and home life a little more too as it's kinda hard to switch off from work when I have all the equipment out in the same kitchen when not working. if that makes sense.
sorry for any typos or punctuation issues I'm dyslexic af and try my best.
thanks in advance for any tips or advice or even any experience building a kitchen only in a outbuilding or even having a shipping container for business use on a home property.
Cheers look forward to reading the replies