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I got to thinking today (completely hypothetically):
Let's say I wanted to open up an educational outreach centre.
Then let's say I knew for certain it would not require being 'on the grid' in terms of needing plumbing or electricity (I know that sounds unlikely; bear with me!).
Then let's say someone offered to buy an old shipping container for me that he and a few others would convert into an appropriate space on the inside, and clad on the outside.
So now I have an office and working facility. Would it be possible for, say, a business located in a local industrial estate with a large enough property, to let us park the now-converted shipping container on his lot, and run our centre?
Or would the insurance and other planning or H&S considerations make that impossible?
What about if a local farmer (or other large-private-property owner allowed it to be set up on his or her land?
Anyway, this may be too obscure or specialised a question to get a real answer, but any insight would be appreciated. I'm just sitting here dreaming...
You would need planning. Even reusing an existing building might need change of use. And of course you need insurance, at least some form of public liability and maybe professional indemnity. All possible though.
Do you actually need premises? Can a lot of it be done online then rent a space as you need it. Much cheaper to set up then lower overheads making it more sustainable.
Village/community halls will appreciate the income, metal boxes will become very damp if you plan on keeping any paperwork there. Ask my mouldy mk2 Golf how I know.
Metal boxes can be quite a scrote magnet too, I'm told that superglued padlocks get really boring really quickly.
Hypothetically what might you be doing in said space?
Permission aside - I rent containers for storage and most of that cost is the land the container is sitting on not the price of the box. It would barely cost me any less to buy my own container and pay for it to stand on the same spot. Very few people who run businesses of any sort have an interest on other people running another business on their land for free.
Think about what space you really need if it would fit in a shipping container then bit much (even less once you've taken out space for a disabled accessible toilet for your staff / clientele) - there are all sorts of flexible business and community spaces around these days. Unless you have a lot of fixed plant of equipment then have as think about co-working spaces and bookable venues - including community facilites.
People/ organisations / groups / projects always seem to have a drive to have a space thats 'theirs' but its more often a burden than an asset. Theres no shortage of empty space around just now as a result - businesses and organisations that have been sunk by their fixed overheads during the pandemic.
If you do need a fixed abode - look at the less fashionable corners of your town there will be initiatives to get activity back into streets that have empty shopfronts - look for  local town centre initiatives . Your local council will often be the landlord of a lot of these empty shops and should be quite approachable in that regard
With falling congregations you'll probably find local churches will have an abundance of space and desire for a modest income stream.
Thanks for that everyone. There would definitely be a need for a small fixed plant (in my imagination, at least).
By all means, keep commenting on the first question, but in the meantime, what if I transferred the idea to a converted coach/bus or even caravan? Could such an outreach be run out of something like that with relatively few legal and financial obstacles? What sorts of hazards would *that* face as an idea?
Again, all hypothetical; just trying to gauge the feasibility of an idea in my head...
what if I transferred the idea to a converted coach/bus or even caravan?
The same as if you used a container - it has to go somewhere that your clientele can get to. You still need disabled access for your clients and staff - but now you're off the ground  and have a narrow door and that access is more difficult. There also aren't many buses and caravans that you can stand up straight in and buses often don't have very flat floors when you take the furniture out. They can be like greenhouses in summer.
If you intend for it to travel then things  like old buses would need to be de-registered / reclassified to drive them without a PSV / HGV license (I knew people who ran an travelling art gallery in an old double decker bus (first floor removed to give a decent height to stand in) that they managed to get classified so you could drive it on a standard car license (I guess they'd managed to strip out enough material to get it under 7.5 tons - nowadays you'd only be able to drive it if you had a pre 1997 license)
Maintaining those kinds of vehicles is no joke and you won't have a spare to conduct your business in if you need to have it repaired or serviced - so again your business is hostage to the premises.
My first proper commission as a artist / designer / maker was converting a bus into a venue for a project - I'll be frank it looked good in a picture but it was a shit place to spend more than a few minutes