Planning permission - what are my chances?

olias

Hi, I am interested in the possibility of building my own property or looking for a conversion or renovation project. This would be my own home and not a development for profit (currently have a 4 bed property - no mortgage - which I would sell to fund this).

I have come accross a 2 acre plot (field) in my preferred area. The land is currently agricultural (sheep field). It is a long thin plot extending away from the road. The land is on the outskirts of a village, but having checked the local plan it is outside the 'limit to development' area for the village. However, The land has a 150' road frontage which is in the middle of a row of 4 other houses, and has two new builds opposite in a row which includes a pub and five other houses. So in effect the land fronts the road in the middle of what is in effect a small hamlet including new builds on the outskirts of the village.

Does anyone have any experience of gaining PP in a similar position or has any thoughts or comments before I look into things further (planning officer?) Thanks

*Just found the PP for the 2 newbuilds and it was approved 15 years ago, no other details online though.

Olias

Owain_Moneysaver

The usual way round it is to build a house-shaped shell of an 'agricultural building' which has less onerous planning criteria, and after 4? years apply for PP to convert the now existing building into a dwelling.

smcqis

I am a town planner, is the land in the countryside? can you get pernmission in the countryside? for example in NI you can only get permission in countryside under certain conditions eg replace, infill etc no longer is an acceptable site on its own acceptable. if this is the case with you then you would need a case of need as it is called, if not and there is a presumption for development in the countryside it will rely on site characteristics only. A site can mar the distinction between urban and rural, hence reason for development limits

smcqis

Ring your local Planning Office, they should be able to give you good advice on the location and point out if there are any obvious constraints e.g. Protected Areas etc

olias

smcqis wrote: »

I am a town planner, is the land in the countryside? can you get pernmission in the countryside? for example in NI you can only get permission in countryside under certain conditions eg replace, infill etc no longer is an acceptable site on its own acceptable. if this is the case with you then you would need a case of need as it is called, if not and there is a presumption for development in the countryside it will rely on site characteristics only. A site can mar the distinction between urban and rural, hence reason for development limits

Hi, thanks, yes the land is in the countryside, but as stated, it is on the outskirts of a village and the road frontage of the land (the obvious place to build, and where I would intend to) is effectively 'infill' with houses either side and opposite (including the recent newbuilds).

I will contact the planning office, but just wanted to get a 'feel' for what people thought first, including if anyone had succeeded in similar circumstances.

Olias

smcqis

infill is very common and acceptable butevery site is different and as such it is extremely difficult to say without seeing the site itself. Hope it works out well for you. Good luck

princeofpounds

I can only add a little supplement to this, but from knowledge of another village often the limits to development are due to factors other than just planning whims. For instance, there may be the side of a ridge where sewerage is not available and cannot drain over the crest into the main sewer. Probably doesn't apply to you given your description, but there may be technical issues that drive the planning ones.

Also, you can apply for outline planning permission without buying anything, but I think the council can make the owner aware of this.

planning_officer

If the site is actually defined as being outside the village boundary on the Local Plan Proposals map, then my gut instinct is that it will be very difficult indeed to get planning permission. However, obviously I don't know the site, so I may be wrong. Usually limited infilling is only allowed in certain defined rural areas, which I imagine would be within the village boundary. Is it in the Green Belt?

planning_officer

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

The usual way round it is to build a house-shaped shell of an 'agricultural building' which has less onerous planning criteria, and after 4? years apply for PP to convert the now existing building into a dwelling.

Most LPAs have policies to prevent this abuse of the planning system. We need evidence that the building has been in situ for more than 10 years. But importantly, you need to show that the building is required for agriculture first - and if there is no need for it, then you wouldn't get permission in the first place.

C_Mababejive

Just park a caravan on it.

olias

planning_officer wrote: »

If the site is actually defined as being outside the village boundary on the Local Plan Proposals map, then my gut instinct is that it will be very difficult indeed to get planning permission. However, obviously I don't know the site, so I may be wrong. Usually limited infilling is only allowed in certain defined rural areas, which I imagine would be within the village boundary. Is it in the Green Belt?

Thanks for that. How do I find out if the land is green belt?

Would the fact that as described, there is existing housing immediately either side and opposite (including housing built in the last 15 years, not have any sway. Also although the land is a 2 acre paddock, any actual house would only take up about 5% of this land in the area immediately abutting the road, inbetween the existing houses, therefore it would really not affect the ammenity or character the existing parcel of land gives to the area.

Although the area is technically within the village boundry, it is however outside the main village centre, the remaining housing being strung out along several arterial roads. The local plan shows the limit to development being the main village centre. The local planning department has obviously allowed development outside this area in the past (ne builds opposite the plot), and there are also other conversions etc that are very recent that are outside this area of limit to development.

Olias