Planning when buying

ben_m_g

Our background is that we are on the market, and actively looking in a certain area, for our 'forever home'. Somewhere that is not just big enough for us now, but will be for years to come.

Unfortunately this has not been so easy, properties that are ready to move into, are scarce or overpriced. There are a wealth of houses that just don't work on layout or just too small.

So reluctantly we are looking for properties that will need extending, but I don't know how you would know if an extension would be allowed.
I know that you can look at neighbouring properties but this area is a mismatch of property types, meaning the, neighbours are often completely different.

Any ideas that wouldn't cost the earth?

Jugers

Speak with your local planning officers. They will likely be able to give you advice on the likelyhood of being able to extend a property in a specific area. This is usually something you would pay for but some councils may offer it for free.

ben_m_g

Is this stage just a quick ok before planning is accepted, will I need sizes of plans or anything?

G_M

Some planning departments will give free advice. Mine you just turn up and ask to speak to someone.

Others you need an appointment, and one I know of charges a fee, even for informal advice (around £70).

When doing this, take as much info as you can to make it easy for the Planning Officer:

* property details
* Photo of the property including its neighbours
* photo of the relevant part of the property you want to extend
* photos of neighbouring extensions for comparison
* Ordnance Survey of the street showing the location
* a plan/design (a rough drawing will do) to show what you intend

The PO can then quickly get an idea of the area, your intentions, and give advice either

* forget it
* should be no problem (but no guarantee!)
* Hmmm, maybe if you do it like this we'd be more likely to accept it

princeofpounds

Make yourself familiar with permitted development rules.


http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/extensions/


If you choose the right house, it's highly likely you won't need planning permission.

ben_m_g

Thank you all for your help.

I had no idea what was involved but I was hoping it might have been a little simpler.

The majority of properties we have seen would need some extending, so this makes things difficult (submitting plans for every potential house seems like a massive PITA), got to keep looking for that ideal one I guess.

Davesnave

If you don't choose an AONB, National Park or Conservation area, your task will be much simpler, especially if the extension will not go in front of the original frontage.

davidmcn

ben_m_g wrote: »

I had no idea what was involved but I was hoping it might have been a little simpler.

The majority of properties we have seen would need some extending, so this makes things difficult (submitting plans for every potential house seems like a massive PITA), got to keep looking for that ideal one I guess.

It ought to be fairly obvious which properties are likely to be extendable and which aren't, but if you're having trouble interpreting the relevant planning policies (or it's not clear whether your otherwise dream property is suitable) then you might want to seek professional assistance.

stator

If you really want to make sure you can also apply for outline planning permission before you even own the house.

Do you think your extension would fall under permitted development or are we talking a huge extension?

ben_m_g

Ok I've looked through the links and reviewed the layouts of the properties we are keen on.

We would more than likely be staying under the 3m limit, and only ever on the rear of the property.
Initially we would only want to look at single story extensions, but would like to be able to revisit this in years to come, if we could raise capital to get the extra floor.
(I know it is cheaper to do this all at once, but costs may limit things depending on sale price and purchase price.)


So looking at the details, I wouldn't need planning approval(?) And wouldn't be affected by any neighbour objections?

When and if we do get the second story, I am not 100% clear, but I assume that then (due to light and privacy) any objections could then be heard?

stator

Yes, that's basically right.
There are lots of rules but a modest single storey extension is usually okay. A two storey extension usually requires permission unless it's far from the boundary.
There are also rules about total floor space in relation to the original house and the original garden.

Building a single storey that could bear the weight of a second storey would add to the costs but make it easier in the future. No guarantee you'd get permission though.