Planning for a Log Cabin

KatieLaLa

Hello,
I'm a newbie.:)

I am thinking of buying a building site and putting a log cabin on it as a permanent home. Wondering if anyone has done this or knows anything about it.

I contacted the planning office today in Downpatrick but the planner I spoke to was very vague and didn't say no but didn't say yes.
He did say I'd have to apply for planning at a cost of around £900. Obviously a lot of money to spend without any idea if it would be passed or not.

The building site I would hope to put it on is rural and already has full planning permission for a large bungalow so I would be requesting to change the plans.

Does anyone know the likelihood of getting permission?

Thankyou in advance.

mofopants

you will need to apply for planning permission. There is a mobile home near ardglass, near to us and i saw that they had put in a retrospective application in for it. This may be becuase its on a main road tho.

We are building and went though the downpatrick office, but haven't applied for permission for our mobile, as its not a permanent thing and we hope to be in a house next year.

I hope this was in someway helpful!

KatieLaLa

Thanks Mofopants. Did you find the Downpatrick office easy to deal with?

I spoke to someone today who makes log cabins and he said whether planning would be granted would depend on the planning office and if they had given planning for something similiar before.

As there is already planning on the site it would be a matter of them accepting a permanent log cabin. Having looked at planningni website I think where I may fall down is the bit where they stipulate that in rural areas the house would have to fit in with the design of neighbouring houses. No-one else has a log cabin so that may go against me.

mofopants wrote: »

you will need to apply for planning permission. There is a mobile home near ardglass, near to us and i saw that they had put in a retrospective application in for it. This may be becuase its on a main road tho.

We are building and went though the downpatrick office, but haven't applied for permission for our mobile, as its not a permanent thing and we hope to be in a house next year.

I hope this was in someway helpful!

mofopants

our architect dealt with the planning office but we did find them ok - they did reject our proposal for a 2 storey house, but worked with our architect to get a storey and a half with a height of 7.2m which is still quite good

Good Luck!

A.L.D.A

KatieLaLa wrote: »

I contacted the planning office today in Downpatrick but the planner I spoke to was very vague and didn't say no but didn't say yes.
He did say I'd have to apply for planning at a cost of around £900. Obviously a lot of money to spend without any idea if it would be passed or not.

Welcome to the service provided by Planning. You are unlikely to obtain a decisive answer until you lodge an application. The usual reason given is because of the consultation process, and others who have to be consulted. However with an approval sitting on the site you would think, as it is just down to the design of the building, the Planning Officer may have been a little more forthright. Did he/she seem seem somewhat negative rather than just non committal?

KatieLaLa wrote: »

The building site I would hope to put it on is rural and already has full planning permission for a large bungalow so I would be requesting to change the plans.

Does anyone know the likelihood of getting permission?

Thank you in advance.

Houses in rural areas usually have to look in keeping with traditional rural houses. Generally these are rendered and have a slate roof. My guess would be that a log cabin is likely to be refused. It may be traditional to Tennessee but not to Co. Down.

You also need Building Control approval, and the construction off the log cabin will have to comply.

wanchai_2

I'd rather see a log cabin than the ugly pebble dashed bungalows that blight our countryside. Good luck, OP.

A.L.D.A

wanchai wrote: »

I'd rather see a log cabin than the ugly pebble dashed bungalows that blight our countryside. Good luck, OP.

Of course the bungalow blight was created by the Planning Service in the first place. At one time they would approve nothing else. Can clearly remember arguments about creating hamlets around existing nodes etc and now under PPS21 guess what!

wanchai_2

True......