Getting planning permission to extend your property to your dream home can be frustrating, considering all the procedures you need to go through to obtain a permit. Planning regulations are complicated and, if not carefully understood, can land you in a pitfall. The fact is you need planning permission if you need to make major architectural changes to your UK building. The same goes for if you plan to erect a building.
Failure to get planning permission for a project that needs one will result in being served an enforcement notice to remove the changes that have been made. That is why you need to understand the planning permission\’s ins and outs and what type of changes it affects. However, this is not easy to learn, and for most people, it is enough to put them off making any changes to a building. In this post, I will bring out some points on what building projects need a permit and how getting a permit in the UK might flow.
Changes and Their Planning Permission Requirements
Typically, significant changes to the architecture of a building will require you to get a permit. However, there are clauses to this; major changes for the building’s good do not need permission. To clarify things, here are some common changes and their requirement.
Extensions
Suppose you plan on adding an extension to your home. In that case, this is lawfully considered to be permitted development. But with the rules, the extension does not occur more than half the land around the original house (curtilage) or elevated higher than the roof. The extension should not be raised in a story building more than eight meters for a detached house and six meters for any other house above the rear wall. Also, the material used for the extension should be the same in appearance as the standing house.
Garages and Outbuildings
The extension of your garages, sheds, greenhouse, and other outbuildings is considered to be permitted development. You are allowed to extend your garage and any other outbuildings on your property without requesting planning permission. That is as long as the extension does not exist four meters and not up to half of the land.
Paving Over Garden
You don’t require planning permission for your garden\’s paving, whatever the size might be, as long as the utilized materials are not porous. Still, impermeable material extended over five square meters will require planning permission to proceed.
Doors and Windows
Planning permission is not needed in the case of repairing your windows or doors. But if your property is listed, then listed building approval is needed and a building control approval for windows.
External Walls and Roof
Planning permission is not needed in cases of minor repair works or modification of your walls and roof. such as painting your house or fixing a skylight. But in the case of living in a conservation area or an area with extraordinary vegetation, you\’ll require planning permission to make changes to your home.
Wind Turbines and Solar Panels
Planning permission is not required for the installation of temporal wind turbines except for the permanent ones. However, a permit is not needed for the installation of solar panels.
Fences, Gates, and Walls
For the extension of your fences, walls, or gates, you\’ll require planning permission. Especially when the changes are over one meter close to the road or two meters away or share a partition with a listed building.
Trees and Hedges
Trees and hedges are under the protection of tree preservation orders which means you\’ll require permission to trim any, especially those in conservation areas. However, in the case of a hedge, no permission is needed. You are allowed to reduce the hedge if it’s becoming a nuisance.
Indoors
Most interior revamping, such as garage conversions, new staircases, bathrooms, kitchens, or rewiring, do not need planning permission.
How To Get Planning Permission
Planning permission has been a major issue for homeowners. The Annual Homeowner Survey conducted in 2019 put a huge 27% – 4.7 million people encountering problems from the planning commission in trying to renovate their home. However, to avoid having cases that stop your plans on home renovation, ensure you contact a good planning consultant to determine your locale planning restrictions, targets, and priorities. They can help get planning permission as your new design would have been tailored according to what the law demands.
Or you can schedule an appointment with your local planning authority before you submit your request. Before the meeting, you will need to have your proposal – with current floor plans and proposed new design. During the meeting, it’s advisable to; ask for an assessment of the plan, about potential problems such as traffic and noise, and also discuss your site problems such as roads footpaths, watercourses, sewers, and telephone lines
Conclusion
Getting a planning permit has its difficulties, but if done right, you can spare yourself a lot of trouble in the long run. One more thing that could help you ease your troubles with planning approval is getting your planning drawings done right. These drawings have to be accurate in scale and demonstrate how the extension will affect its surroundings.
