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Use code BUILD for 20% off‘Will I need planning permission?’ is a question many ask themselves when setting out on a home renovation or extension project. And, for those of you looking to refurbish an existing building, it might come as a pleasant surprise to discover just how much you can achieve without having to go through the planning approval process.
In the UK, the permitted development (PD) regime allows you to embark on a whole host of home improvements, from extensions and loft conversions through to adding solar panels or other renewable technologies.
The crux of permitted development rights is that the government has granted blanket consent for a range of works, provided they meet certain criteria and that the local authority accepts your scheme. This is a complex area of planning regulation, taking in numerous classes of development – each with its own detailed rules. Permitted development can be tricky to understand, too, with fairly strict rules setting out what you can and can’t do based on your home’s size, location and its surroundings.
In this article we’ll principally be focusing on the permitted development rights in England, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all administer their own versions. They each follow the same basic principles but have subtle differences, so check the guidance that applies to your part of the country via the relevant government website.
So, what do you need planning permission for, and what projects can you undertake without formal consent? Take a look at these 23 permitted development examples to see what you can achieve without applying for planning permission.
You can build storey-height additions to the back and sides of your house under permitted development rights. Generally the limits for rear extensions are that you can stretch 4m out from the original dwelling on detached homes, and 3m in other cases.
Larger extensions up to 8m and 6m respectively are currently allowable in England, subject to a notification procedure. Side extensions can be up to half the width of the original building.
You will be restricted in terms of ridge height (4m) and the amount of garden amenity you can cover (no more than 50%) if you want to qualify for PD. Proximity to plot boundaries also has an impact, while the materials must match the existing house as far as practicable.
CLOSER LOOK Permitted development rules for house extensionsWhat size extension can you build without planning permission? These are the general guidelines:
Read More: Extending a Home Under Permitted Development: What Can I Build? |
For those of you after an interior refresh, reconfiguring rooms is a quick and easy way to update a space, and you won’t need permission for internal changes such as moving walls, adjusting floor heights, rejigging a kitchen or creating a new bathroom.
This only applies to a completed and occupied house, however; not to a new build or conversion under construction, where the approved plans must be followed. Bear in mind that you may need listed building consent if your home carries this status.
Think about giving your interiors a refresh by painting the walls a new colour or creating a feature wall with tiles or brick slips. Choosing a surface finish can be difficult as there are so many options. Many modern decorators are opting for standard paint alternatives like clay- and lime-based plasters for their organic feel, texture and breathable properties. Both of these options can be tinted, pigmented and even sculpted to create a striking finish.
Garage conversions are one of the speediest and most affordable routes to adding flexible floor space to your existing home. The process will significantly enhance your home’s value and a garage conversion will offer a versatile new space that can be used as a home office, bedroom or home gyms or even a small guest room complete with bathroom and kitchenette.
Do you need planning permission for a garage conversion, though? The good news is that planning permission is not normally required to repurpose a garage for residential use, providing that the work is exclusively internal and does not involve enlarging the building in any way (including the addition of dormers in the roof).
Check with your local authority that the right to convert has not been removed. This is a particularly common issue with new developments and conservation areas.
Check with your local authority that the right to convert has not been removed. This is a particularly common issue with new developments and conservation areas.
A full planning application will also be necessary if you want to significantly alter the external appearance of the garage, such as making big changes to the windows, using new materials or adding an extension. Among the other permissions you might need to secure are listed building consent (if you live in a listed building) and party wall agreements with any adjoining neighbours.
Read More: Garage Conversions: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
FAQ Do I need planning permission for a carport?Martin Gaine, Build It’s planning expert, says: Although a car port is generally a light-weight (open-sided) structure, it is still treated by the planning system as development requiring planning permission. However, they can be permitted development (meaning that they do not need express planning permission) under the allowances for outbuildings. These include that they can’t sit forward of the main wall of your house and can’t be more than 2.5m tall if close to a site boundary. The permitted development rules can be fairly complex so it is usually best to apply for a certificate of lawfulness from your local council before starting work. This confirms that what you are proposing complies with the rules. For a helpful guide to the permitted development rules, search online for the interactive house, a free resource on the Planning Portal website. |
For planning permission purposes, conservatories, sunrooms and orangeries are treated as extensions – with the main difference being that the requirement for matching materials doesn’t apply as you’ll likely have large areas of glazing.
To qualify as permitted development, your conservatory must attach to the original dwelling and not a subsequent extension.
If you’re able to, doubling up with an extra level when extending will be one of the best routes to elevating your property’s value and adding more useful floorspace that can be used for bedrooms, bathrooms, offices and more. But do you need planning permission for a double-storey extension? In most cases, multi-storey or two-storey extensions don’t require formal planning permission as they will fall under permitted development rights.
You won’t need planning permission to replace your home’s windows provided that, as a result of the change, the appearance of the house isn’t materially altered (so some change is permissible). You can even enlarge existing fenestration under PD – although take note that bay windows are considered to be extensions.
Special rules intended to protect neighbours’ privacy apply to side windows, which should be fitted with obscured glazing. It’s quite common to see conditions on previous planning permission preventing alterations to windows in houses and conversions – so always check this before proceeding.
Loft conversions are an excellent, cost-effective and smart way to make the most out of an often-unused space without building outside of the property’s footprint. They make great additions to compact homes where space to extend is limited, and the additional usable storey means boosting your property’s value, too.
A loft conversion project tends to largely rest on internal work, so there’s usually no need for planning permission as it’s likely that the works will fall under Permitted Development (PD) rules. You can expand available space either with dormer windows or similar alterations, such as changing a hipped roof to a gable – subject to the proviso that the works don’t extend beyond the plane of the existing slope on the front elevation.
Essential Advice: Loft Conversions: 10 Key Questions to Ask When Converting a Loft
You won’t need formal planning consent to change your home’s roof covering – including jobs such as repairing sections of the covering or replacing it with the same or another material. Just think about what will suit your home’s style.
Any alterations must project no more than 150mm from the existing plane, which is just enough room to add a layer of external insulation if you choose to take this route for an attic conversion (see above).
Rooflights or roof windows offer a fantastic opportunity to filtering in top-down natural light. Installating this type of glazing feature doesn’t require formal planning permission as they’re covered by permitted development (PD) rights, providing they do not protrude more than 150mm beyond the plane of the roof slope and do not sit higher than the highest part of the roof.
Permitted development rights don’t apply to listed buildings or those in conservation areas, so if your home falls into either category, you’ll need to apply for consent. You should look to specify sympathetic models, too, such as conservation rooflights which fit the aesthetic of older period homes.
You can update any external door to your home by adding a small porch, up to 3m high and 3m2 in floor area (measured externally). It must be at least 2m away from any boundary with a highway.
You’re allowed to paint, repair or replace the external cladding of your house, but the new finish must broadly match the original in appearance.
There are strong restrictions in place to protect designated zones. So in conservation areas, national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs) and the Broads you will need to apply for planning permission to clad in stone, artificial stone, pebbledash, render, timber, plastic or tiles.
Unless a layer of thermal protection is being applied to the building’s exterior in a way that would affect its appearance, then fitting insulation is classed as internal work that doesn’t require permission.
Where you’re adding it as part of an external cladding, such as insulated render, it will still count as PD unless it increases the height of the building or moves the front wall closer to the highway.
The government’s bid to reduce carbon emissions means that homeowners are now free to add solar thermal or photovoltaic (PV) panels on roofs or walls, provided the units don’t protrude more than 200mm beyond the roof plane and are installed below the highest part of the covering.
The general rule is that these renewables should be sited to minimise visual impact on the dwelling and the locale – and there are specific restrictions in place for conservation areas, world heritage sites and listed buildings. Panels can also be installed on outbuildings or in your garden, but there are strict size limitations for the latter.
You can fit a ground or water source heat pump in your garden as permitted development. The only potential snag may be local rules for listed buildings and conservation areas. There are strict size and location limits for air source versions – and only your first installation is allowed under PD.
If you do choose to make the switch to a heat pump, you’ll be able to access the UK’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS), meaning you’ll receive a grant towards the installation of a new heating system.
You can access the following under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme:
Read More: Heat Pump Guide: What Are Heat Pumps & How Do They Work?
If you’re lucky enough to have an existing basement and if extending upwards into the loft or outwards into the garden to create a rear extension isn’t an option for you, refurbishing the space below your home may be an amazing way to expand the liveable space in your home.
Cellars are a common feature in many period properties, but as they were principally designed as a storage space, transforming this dark, often cramped zone into appealing, habitable accommodation can present a few challenges. Headroom is typically one of the biggest obstacles to overcome, as you’ll want a minimum clearance of at least 2m.
Additional structural works, waterproofing and insulation may also be required – not to mention that you’ll probably want to incorporate some means of bringing natural light in.
This type of maintenance on foundations – which is usually designed to stabilise a structure – won’t normally require planning permission, although a formal application could be necessary when underpinning a listed building or a property in a designated area.
Erecting new single-storey structures – including summerhouses, garages and garden offices – is allowed under permitted development provided their use is incidental to that of the main dwelling (eg for a gym rather than an extra bedroom).
The building must be behind the principal elevation of the house, and you cannot cover more than 50% of the garden with such structures. Height limits also apply.
There are no PD rights for outbuildings in the grounds of listed properties, while in AONBs, conservation areas and national parks, they must not be larger than 10m2 if they are more than 20m from the house – among other restrictions.
If you’re able to build your garden room under permitted development, it’ll be wise to consider a Lawful Development Certificate as this proves the work was permitted and will come in handy should you choose to sell your home.
Read More: Garden Offices: Your Complete Guide to Building an Office in Your Garden
FAQ Do I need planning permission to change a conservatory into a standard room?Opinder Liddar, Build It’s design and architecture expert, says: Most properties have permitted development rights enabling certain sized extensions to be built without the need for planning permission. More than likely your property and replacing the conservatory could fall into this category dependant on the size of the conservatory and if it is lawful itself. I assume this is not a listed building and therefore listed building consent would not apply either. So long as the new extension is no bigger than the existing, then I expect that planning would not be required. If you are not sure, you could apply for a certificate of lawful use to the local authority who would be able to guarantee that planning is not needed. |
Swimming pools come under the same class as outbuildings, so if you’re planning one in a small garden you should check whether it will fall within the 50% limit on coverage of grounds by buildings.
An external deck can be laid provided it isn’t over 300mm above ground level. It’s subject to the same provisos about garden coverage (so counts towards the 50% threshold) and floorplan size in protected areas as apply to outbuildings.
Are you looking to construct a new fence but are unsure whether or not you’ll require planning permission? The good news is that you can build new boundary treatments (such as fences) provided they fall within allotted height restrictions. Those fronting a highway must be a maximum of 1m tall, while a 2m threshold applies elsewhere. This right does not extend to listed buildings.
Laying or replacing hardstanding is considered permitted development across most parts of a property’s grounds. However, if you’re planning to treat more than 5m2 of front garden you must either use a porous surface, such as gravel or permeable block paving. Alternatively, you should direct the rainwater to a lawn or flower bed where it can drain naturally.
While most garden work is clearly permitted, including major changes such as planting hedges, there are a number of restrictions. The most significant is that many trees are protected by preservation orders, so you may need the council’s consent to prune or fell them.
Permitted development rights allow you to convert a range of agricultural and commercial buildings – such as shops, offices and storage units – to domestic use. For example, in England only you can change the use of up to three farm buildings on the same tranche of land, up to a maximum combined footprint of 405m2.
The rules around these projects are complex and, while full planning may not be required, separate prior approval applications do need to be made to the overseeing council.
Expert Advice: Renovating a Home: Will I Need Planning Permission to Make House Alterations?
Is there a forum? Would be great to chat & exchange ideas with like minded people. Theda
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