Planning officer coming to "take photos"

arsenalfan1234

Dear all,


I have put in a revised planning permission application for a single storey extension; 6 metres length from the boundary and 3.5metres width. The previous application was rejected because my architect messed up the drawing. Anyway I have received a voicemail from the planning officer who is dealing with the application and said she is coming by on Wed 27/09 to "take some photos". I'm failing to understand, why she would be doing this, the drawings are straightforward and descript.


I am also somewhat concerned that I have just built a BIG shed in the back garden in the shape of a trapezium (my garden narrows as you get to the end of it). It is 1.4m at the back, 9m long and 3.5m at the front where the door is. It has a flat felt roof with a slant to remove water with guttering. The roof height is less than 2.4m.


Can you guys please advise.


Thanks,


K

LandyAndy

Well, you can't stop her coming and you can't do anything about the shed so best to let her get on with it and see what she has to say.

Why shouldn't she come and see in real life what is indicated on the plans?


When I submitted plans a couple of years ago a planning officer visited to check a few details and see the site in person. It didn't halt the permission.

Doozergirl

It's perfectly normal for a planning officer to come onto site. In fact, it's strange not to!

I presume you checked your permitted development rights when you built your shed?
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200130/common_projects/43/outbuildings

If so, nothing to worry about!

System

It is quite normal for a planning officer to visit the site before issuing a decision - most local authorities have records of the photos on their case file to prove that they have seen the site and understand it to avoid any dispute about the drawing accuracy or other things not shown on the drawings being deemed accepted etc

arsenalfan1234

@Doozergirl , yes I checked and it falls well within the guidelines. I was just concerned she might pick out some ridiculous detail. And she doesn't know when the shed was built, etc, so it shouldn't worry her. She's coming to look at the land on which the extension is to be built on, nothing else.

arsenalfan1234

@LandyAndy and @the_r_sole , ok thanks guys, makes sense.

Eliza_2

The stat consultees (eg Parish Councils) also receive photos with the planning papers. We can't send in our comments without seeing them as we don't always know the properties that well. It's standard stuff.

Warwick_Hunt

arsenalfan1234 wrote: »

@Doozergirl , yes I checked and it falls well within the guidelines. I was just concerned she might pick out some ridiculous detail. And she doesn't know when the shed was built, etc, so it shouldn't worry her. She's coming to look at the land on which the extension is to be built on, nothing else.

Well as long as your sheds isn't within a metre of the boundary and the land the house sits on is big enough for the shed and extension there shouldn't be a problem.

EachPenny

arsenalfan1234 wrote: »

@Doozergirl , yes I checked and it falls well within the guidelines. I was just concerned she might pick out some ridiculous detail.

If you had permitted development rights then there is no 'ridiculous detail' for them to pick out. If they do pick out a 'ridiculous detail' then it means you didn't have PD rights.

Did you check that PD actually applies to your property? The thing which normally catches people out is the height restriction. If the roof is all below 2.4m then you should be ok in that respect, but by the sound of it you won't have 2m clearance from all the boundaries so the maximum height of any part of the building must be below 2.5m. Bear in mind there is a specific way of measuring the height, you don't get to choose the method you prefer. So if the 2.4m is really 2.5m then you need to beware.

arsenalfan1234 wrote: »

And she doesn't know when the shed was built, etc, so it shouldn't worry her. She's coming to look at the land on which the extension is to be built on, nothing else.

That is irrelevant though. In cases like yours the planning officer will look at the whole of the development site, not just the bit you are asking about. When the shed was built is also unimportant in relation to the extension application, but if it looks relatively new then the planning officer will know roughly when... they aren't stupid and have evidence sources in the office they can use to give a fairly accurate date of construction.

One of the aims of planning law is to prevent overdevelopment of residential property and changing the character of dwellings. So one of the PD restrictions for outbuildings is on the percentage area of the 'original' land you can cover.

That's where your situation might get complicated. Because you appear to need planning consent for the extension rather than being able to do it under PD, it means the area of 'original land' covered by the shed might become a material consideration.

Therefore it is possible that the planning officer could consider the combination of a large shed and a large extension to be overdevelopment of the plot. It all depends on how big your 'original land' actually is, the opinion of the planning officer, and any comments/objections from the neighbours.

The best way of dealing with the site visit is to avoid - at all costs - giving any indication you feel anything is not the planning officer's business. They know the subject much better than you, so the best way of handling them is to be 'all ears' and interested in everything they have to say.

Also, if overdevelopment is likely to be an issue then your best strategy (if you want the extension) is to offer to reduce the size of the shed. So if the planning officer mentions anything about the size of the shed and the remaining garden then don't react angrily, but instead ask how any concerns could be addressed. If you go on the defensive (which is the impression your posts give already) then you just make the whole process harder for yourself.

Gloomendoom

I had a visit from a planning officer when I applied for planning permission. He arrived unannounced and I would probably never have known had I not decided to take the day off work that day.

As others have said, his interest wasn't just confined to the areas I wanted to build on. He took measurements and photographs of the whole site including existing outbuildings. He then went next door on both sides and took photos from there too.

arsenalfan1234

https://ibb.co/ioXHKQ


This quick mock up image may help