Planning permission for Roof Raise

kenzie123

I've posted here before for advice on a loft extension.

I'm considering applying for planning permission to raise our roof, in order to avoid having to lower the ceilings on the first floor.

Raising the roof would give us about 4/5cm more height.

There is no precedent in our area for granting this type of work. I don't think it would be approved.

We've been advised to get pre-application advice from the council, to gauge their opinion without risk of refusal. There is a cost to this service.

Does anyone have experience or advice on doing this, is it likely to help us or shall we stop spending on an idea that is unlikely?

Please ask any questions as this post feels vague I know!

if granted I think it would result in a 2.1m high loft extension but without it we'd only have around 1.9m (this is based on early cloud scans, not a structural engineers official calcs.

thanks in advance for any advice

elsien

@Section62 may have some thoughts about this.

daveyjp

Pre app process is now very well established, There is a cost, but the info required is quite basic and generally no need to pay anyone to submit it. You will get an opinion on whether the proposal is acceptable.

It is certainly cheaper than preparing an application which then gets refused.

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6682199/planning-permission-for-roof-raise

There is no precedent in our area for granting this type of work. I don't think it would be approved.

Approval would be based on the material planning considerations in accordance with the planning authority's current planning policy framework - 'precedent' doesn't really come into it.

It is impossible to predict what decision the planning authority would make because although the process is meant to be rational and based on published policy, with some planning authorities it is becoming more of a coin toss depending on the personal whim of the case officer.

This is why it probably makes sense to get pre-application advice - even though it costs more, you will get a guide from the planners whether they may be willing to accept the proposal. In the past you could submit a full application and then make amendments to it if you got feedback from planners that refusal was likely - but increasingly planning authorities are now refusing to allow post-application amendments unless you previously paid for pre-application advice from them. Some might feel this amounts to a form of legalised blackmail or extortion… I'm not sure I'd wholly disagree with that point of view. But if stumping up some cash up front is a way of avoiding paying even more later then others might say it was a wise investment.

In principle an application to raise the level of a roof by a small margin shouldn't be an issue - especially if the purpose is to provide additional living space, and perhaps to provide a significant improvement in thermal efficiency. Though if the building is listed or in a conservation area such a radical change is unlikely to be acceptable. Where it gets more complicated is if you want to change the look of the roof - either by changing the material (say slates to tiles) or changing the shape (hip to gable, or adding dormers).

There is a bigger issue here though. The cost of pre-application planning advice, and the application itself, are a trivial cost compared to the cost of stripping and replacing the entire roof of a house. The total cost of the work required to raise a roof by 40 to 50mm is likely to be out of proportion to the benefits achieved.

If the cost of pre-app advice is something you have doubts about paying then you should probably go back a few steps and think carefully about what you are trying to achieve, and how much you are willing to pay.

In the previous thread I said "save the money towards moving house" - that advice still stands. The amount you are likely to spend on this loft conversion would probably be better used towards buying a house which is already big enough. Unless you've got a strong attachment to living in this house you'll be spending a lot of money and putting up with months of inconvenience and hassle to end up with something you could buy for less.

TELLIT01

If you really mean 4 or 5 cm, 2 inches in old money, it would seem to be a lot of expense for very little gain. You also mention head height increasing from 1.9m to 2.1m which is 20cm. Which is it?

kenzie123

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82126309#Comment_82126309

At a time when we are finding very little advice or guidance from those we have actually paid, I'm very grateful for your advice here. thank you.

I tend to agree with the legal blackmail element, but more so I think you're right in that the cost of raising this roof is perhaps not being considered by our architect or relayed to us. 

Your thoughts on saving for another house does make sense and I feel we should cut our losses here and halt this idea, but the architect is suggesting it before we stop altogether. The other thing to mention is that we are planning a dormer here so again may go against us.

casper_gutman

This is a detached property, presumably?