Property has extension with no planning permission

3dsmills

We're looking to buy a 1930s property which has a fairly new extension and triple garage (at the rear). We really like the place and have placed an offer which we are still waiting for feedback on.

A family member is a surveyor, he's has done a bit of research on the property and discovered there is no planning for the extension and the garage is listed as a single garage.

Most of the surrounding (terraced) houses have similar sized extensions, one has a garage which is even bigger than the one for this property, (it's more of a club house / granny annex than a garage).

The garages / extensions cannot be seen from the road so you wouldnt even know they were there unless you went round the back.

Am i right in thinking you can extend up to 10% of the floor area of the property without planning? If this is the case it would probably cover the extension but then there is the garage.

Can you apply for planning retrospectively? I assume we could be asked to take down the garage if someone complained?

I'd be grateful for any advise from anyone who has any experience of this? Would it put you off?

I have mentioned our concern to the estate agent who shrugged it off, I thought it would be a good bargaining tool but he's not willing to pass on my concern to the vendor (the bank, as it's a reposession).

sham63

For a garage/outbuilding;

You won't need planning permission as long as;

it's not more than 4m high with a ridged roof or 3m high with a flat/pitched roof;

it's not within 5m of the house (if more than 10 cubic metres in volume)

it doesn't cover more than 50% of the curtilage (garden) of your house;

it's not closer to a highway than the house;

it's used for a purpose 'incidental' to the enjoyment of the house (gym, study, garage, playroom etc)

This all assumes you're not in Scotland, it's not a listed building or in a conservation area.

Withe regard to the extension it is lileky to be permitted development. The majority of houses have 'permitted development' rights that allow certain alterations/additions to take place without the need for planning permission. In the case of extensions it is based on the volume of the extension in relation to the original house.

3dsmills

wow, thank you very much, that's really helpful, certainly put my mind at rest :beer: