Planning permision,free for all.

Dinah93

Planning officer has given some good advice (and I would expect nothing less having seen several of his previous replies ) however off the top of my head there are a few more points to consider from the new regs

Firstly, is the property within a conservation area or listed, as these regs have actually been tightened? If listed building, definitely needs permission, if conservation area needs permission if to the side.

Secondly, is there an adopted highway (footpath, cycleway, bridleway, backlane etc) to the rear of the properties? (or the side, whichever way the extension is going towards, basically, would it project towards a piece of adopted highway?)

Thirdly would the extension cause more than 50% of the total ground area within the curtilage (excluding the original dwelling house) to be covered?

Would the proposed extension exceed 4m in height?

The media have acted extremely badly in their reporting of the new regs, and I expect to see a lot more work completed without permission that requires it as a result. We are also anticipating a larger volume of pre-application enquiries from people who are completely unsure, since these are free at my council, its a case of nothing ventured nothing gained. The way the media has interpreted the new regs only goes to show why you actually need a qualification in Town and Country planning, not journalism to be able to give a reliable answer!

I am a planning officer, any advice I give on these forums is purely an informal opinion and should not be taken as legal advice.

fluffymuffy

Dinah93 wrote: »

Secondly, is there an adopted highway (footpath, cycleway, bridleway, backlane etc) to the rear of the properties? (or the side, whichever way the extension is going towards, basically, would it project towards a piece of adopted highway?)

I thought that roads(etc) at the rear were no longer going to be an issue under the new regulations, only those at the side?

Also there's no mention of distance before the rules apply on the side - the 20m rule has gone, hasn't it?

fluffymuffy

Dinah93 wrote: »

The way the media has interpreted the new regs only goes to show why you actually need a qualification in Town and Country planning, not journalism to be able to give a reliable answer!

Or you could check the government's Planning Portal - http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115315206517.html

Doozergirl

fluffymuffy wrote: »

I thought that roads(etc) at the rear were no longer going to be an issue under the new regulations, only those at the side?

Also there's no mention of distance before the rules apply on the side - the 20m rule has gone, hasn't it?

As far as I'm aware, the 20m rule has gone but the new build still shouldn't protrude further than level with the existing building.

fluffymuffy

I must say these new rules are fantastic for business already! We have three new (planning)jobs in and it's only just started. Far from meaning fewer planning applications it seems it will mean rather more of them.

The bottom line is that people living in semis and terraces don't want to build extensions/conservatories of less than 3m projection. And why should they? The cost is in the key elements - making it a metre or so longer really doesn't add that much cost. Hopfully our local planners will agree to answer questions about it from today (they've been avoiding giving straight answers so far).