Car port converted to garage and no council permission

Zergius2

I will ask about when it was converted. Also agency wrote to me regarding the insurance:
"
The problem is, you can only get an indemnity policy when the council are unaware there is an issue. When this came up on the paperwork, they contacted the council to ask about it, which means it is now not possible to get an indemnity policy. It is possible to get a retrospective sign off from the council, however this can take a long time (months) to come through and would hold everything up.
"

Davesnave wrote: »

If it's been there for 4 years then provided it's not in one of the areas I mentioned the council is too late to enforce.
As a buyer, you will want evidence that it's been there that long, or your solicitor may want the sellers to pay for indemnity insurance.
It doesn't sound like a biggie.
Oh, and the agents are wrong; people should seek permission, if needed, before such a conversion, not after it!

AdrianC

If it's past the BR retrospective action period (a year), there's nothing the council can do. No retrospective sign-off is needed, no indemnity will pay for anything.

If it's past the PP retrospective action period (four years), there's nothing the council can do. No retrospective permission is needed, no indemnity will pay for anything.


Is it visible on Streetview?

Zergius2

No, streetview dated 2012 and there are wooden gates in car port.
Now automatic garage door.

AdrianC wrote: »

Is it visible on Streetview?

Cakeguts

Is it on one of those new developments where the carports had wooden doors on them? Something like this? https://www.google.com/maps/@51.7688513,-0.2478985,3a,75y,127.76h,81.65t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sS5JyjU_pgMuedlLgGk24hg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192


Richards street.

Zergius2

Yes, it was the same, just without driveway.

Cakeguts wrote: »

Is it on one of those new developments where the carports had wooden doors on them? Something like this?
Richards street.

AdrianC

So basically it's just a side/rear panel added, and the doors changed for taller?

I really wouldn't sweat it.

Cakeguts

Zergius2 wrote: »

Yes, it was the same, just without driveway.

I think those might be an original condition of the planning permission but I don't know. It would be something to do with the street scene so that the estate wasn't like one of the old ones where it was a whole estate of the same new houses. Google Little Boxes song by Malvina Reynolds.



I don't think a whole street of garage doors would improve the look of the houses to be honest. It will make them look like workshops.

lincroft1710

Councils' budgets are overstretched, they are cutting back wherever they can. They certainly haven't the resources to investigate possible planning breaches, of which they have no previous knowledge!

In any case there will be few planning officers who will give a flying duck if a car port is converted to a garage without pp, they have far, far more important matters on which to concentrate their minds.

Doozergirl

18 posts and no-one has yet pointed out that garages are exempt from Building Regulations.

And it almost certainly falls under Permitted Development.

Clearly I haven't seen it, but there is potentially zero to be concerned about here.

AdrianC

Garages certainly aren't exempt from BR. The BR inspector was very interested in the groundworks for the garage I had built the other year, and wouldn't sign off without doing something about the roots of a nearby tree...