Garage Conversion

dunroving

Davesnave wrote: »

At first I thought he was a 'bot, but 'bots can usually spell!

Aye, but they can't bork. All the best borkers are real people.

parking_question_chap

Doozergirl wrote: »

Not without planning permission.

A home office is incidental to the dwelling, a bedroom is not and it would have to be considered separately.

Did your pre application advice tell you that your proposed office fell under Permitted Development? I presume that is the case if you are already building.

A bedroom does need full planning permission.

Erm, no it doesnt.

Unless when the property was built the pd rights were removed, you dont need permission to convert the garage into a bedroom.

So long as the bedroom is "incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse" as outlined in the GPDO it doesnt need permission.

EachPenny

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Unless when the property was built the pd rights were removed, you dont need permission to convert the garage into a bedroom.

So long as the bedroom is "incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse" as outlined in the GPDO it doesnt need permission.

Doozergirl is correct. "Incidental to the enjoyment" should be read as excluding activities which would normally be expected to take place in the dwellinghouse itself. The subject often comes up in appeals, there are some grey areas (e.g. home cinemas/games rooms) but the position on additional bedrooms is clear.

Perhaps the most important constraint on Permitted Development within this Class of Part 1 in the GPDO is the purpose for which the outbuilding is being erected. The wording of the Order is quite restrictive; it only permits the erection of such a building if it is “required for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such”. The term ‘incidental’ as used here has been held to exclude purposes which are part of the primary residential use of the property, so a free-standing building to provide extra sleeping accommodation, extra living space, and/or a kitchen, etc. are not permitted by this part of the GPDO. http://planninglawblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/permitted-development-for-outbuildings.html

The following is a direct quote from a Planning Inspector:-

“Class E of the GPDO does not permit the erection of outbuildings for use as additional residential accommodation of the sort which would normally be found in a house, for example as an additional bedroom or living room. It is therefore appropriate to examine the reasons for development being "required" under Class E - otherwise the GPDO would be open to abuse by sham proposals, involving buildings being constructed for one stated purpose and then being used for another purpose.” http://www.permitteddevelopment.org/Incidental-Use-Appeal-Decisions.php

I.e. Someone converts a garage into a home office, then installs a bathroom and kitchen, then sells the 'home office' as a self-contained home.

parking_question_chap

EachPenny wrote: »

Doozergirl is correct. "Incidental to the enjoyment" should be read as excluding activities which would normally be expected to take place in the dwellinghouse itself. The subject often comes up in appeals, there are some grey areas (e.g. home cinemas/games rooms) but the position on additional bedrooms is clear.



The following is a direct quote from a Planning Inspector:-


I.e. Someone converts a garage into a home office, then installs a bathroom and kitchen, then sells the 'home office' as a self-contained home.

ok, will take your word for that, sounds complicated.

Doozergirl

parking_question_chap wrote: »

ok, will take your word for that, sounds complicated.

I'm sure it can appear complicated if you haven't dealt with this sort of thing for a living for the last two decades.

EachPenny

parking_question_chap wrote: »

ok, will take your word for that, sounds complicated.

It can be, but the question of Class E bedrooms is fairly well defined - they don't legally exist.

In a previous life I worked in an area where people employed expensive planning consultants to justify the building of all kinds of elaborate 'incidental' facilites which everyone knew were destined to become the living quarters for the au-pair. A 'pool house' with a basic kitchen, toilet, shower room and storage space is 99% of the way to becoming an au-pair flat. Most planning authorities will be wise to such things