Do I Need Planning Permission For My Home Extension?
If you invited close family members and friends over to celebrate the Christmas and New Year periods, you may have found that your home is no longer big enough to cope.
What do you do to overcome the problem if you want to host future festive gatherings? You have at least three options:
- Buy a larger property and relocate
- Thoroughly declutter the house
- Invest in a home extension to extend living space
If you favour staying put and growing your home with a conservatory or orangery, 5 Star would be delighted to assist and give you more home to love in 2018.
However, we must inform you of the possibility of you needing planning permission before we commence constructing your desired extension.
Permitted development or not?
In an attempt to encourage more homeowners to extend their properties, the Government temporarily relaxed size limits for single-storey rear extensions built before 30th May 2019.
You may find that your proposed design is a “permitted development” In these circumstances no planning permission application needs to be submitted as it satisfies the following limits and conditions for houses:
- No more than half the area of land around the “original house”* would be covered by additions or other buildings.
- No extension forward of the principal elevation or side elevation fronting a highway.
- No extension to be higher than the highest part of the roof.
- Single-storey rear extension must not extend beyond the rear wall of the original house* by more than three metres if an attached house or by four metres if a detached house.
- In addition, outside Article 2(3) designated land* and Sites of Special Scientific Interest the limit is increased to 6m if an attached house and 8m if a detached house until 30 May 2019.
- These increased limits (between 3m and 6m and between 4m and 8m respectively) are subject to the prior notification of the proposal to the Local Planning Authority and the implementation of a neighbour consultation scheme. If objections are received, the proposal might not be allowed.
- Maximum height of a single-storey rear extension of four metres.
- Extensions of more than one storey must not extend beyond the rear wall of the original house* by more than three metres.
- Maximum eaves height of an extension within two metres of the boundary of three metres.
- Maximum eaves and ridge height of extension no higher than existing house.
- Side extensions to be single storey with maximum height of four metres and width no more than half that of the original house.
- Two-storey extensions no closer than seven metres to rear boundary.
- Roof pitch of extensions higher than one storey to match existing house.
- Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.
- No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
- Upper-floor, side-facing windows to be obscure-glazed; any opening to be 1.7m above the floor.
- On designated land* no permitted development for rear extensions of more than one storey.
- On designated land no cladding of the exterior.
- On designated land no side extensions.
* The term “original house” means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.
* Designated land includes conservation areas, national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and World Heritage Sites.
Get 5 Star planning permission assistance
Should the extension not fulfil some of the above criteria, then an application for planning permission will need to be submitted to your local planning department.
But don’t panic! The great thing about choosing 5 Star for your conservatory / orangery installation is that we will take care of any planning permission requirements on your behalf. You in the meantime can just sit back, relax and await a decision while we do the necessary work.
Make the first move towards a bigger home today and book a FREE 1 hour appointment with 5 Star.
