Building line

mishkanorman

We have applied for planning permission and the local town council have no objections other than it must not be built forward of the building line,

Our house is on a corner, semi detached, with the house we are attached to being behind us. The next house along the road is set further forward, the house across the road from us is in line with us.

How do we determine where the actual building line is ? How will the planners decide where it is ?

thanks

DTDfanBoy

The location of your front door determines which side of the house is the front,
It is the front of your house which determines where the building line is, the location of other houses around yours is largely irrelevant

Annie1960

I've just been advised that the building line is the position of houses 4 away on either side of mine. I can't extend out further than the one nearest the road.


I'm not sure it varies from one district to another, and mine is in a row of houses so is easy to determine, whereas yours seems more complex if it's on the corner.


The simplest thing for you to do would be to ask your council how they determine this.

mishkanorman

Thanks both, this is why we are confused - if it's as the first reply then why didn't the town council just refuse as we ARE building forwards from our front door.

The consultation period ends 8th September so guess we have to wait until then.

stator

The front door doesn't always decide the 'front' of the house. They use lots of criteria and common sense. The door is only one part of that criteria.

Can you post a scetch of the layout, or a part of the O/S map you used for the planning application?

Furts

I built out a substantial distance from the front of my house - also a corner plot. One surveyor said I would have no chance because of the building line so I went a different one who said perhaps I could go a bit. When the planning was decided it was said that there was no concept of a building line - the expression and concept was a myth. Hence I went out as far as I wished.

In your case being a semi detached will hinder this because of the impact on the neighbours - this I suspect is the real issue .

mishkanorman

Cant seem to upload a sketch, if you imagine our front door facing north as you look at it on a map the garden where we wish to build stretches to the right for approx 20m, there is then a track, then our neighbours small garden and house, his house is set approx 2m back from the road as are the next set of 2 houses, whilst we are set 12m back from the road.

Our attached neighbours are sideways on to the back of our house so their front door faces West, the impact of our extension to them will be minimal (apart from the building works)