As local householders find it continuously difficult to take that next step up the property ladder increasing numbers of people are instead choosing to expand their existing home with conservatories and orangeries.
The installation of a conservatory or orangery can rejuvenate an old house and establish lots of fresh, useable space, but before any building takes place, it needs to be determined whether planning permission is required.
If the extension meets the limits and conditions laid out to be classed as a “permitted development”, it automatically satisfies planning laws.
What is a “permitted development”?
A few years ago, the Government decided to relax the rules in relation to the size of home extensions until 2019 to give more householders the opportunity to extend their properties.
This enables people to have an extension up to 6 metres in size for an attached house and 8 metres in size for a detached house, namely a permitted development.
What happens if my new extension isn’t a permitted development?
An extension will be ineligible for permitted development rights when it will be taller than the highest part of the property’s roof or it’s a single-storey rear extension taller than four metres.
In the circumstances, an application for planning permission needs to be submitted to your local authority. The current cost for making a planning application in England for an extension is £206. This application should also be accompanied with any supporting documentation to help the planners fully assess the proposal.
Once the planners are in receipt of your application, they will give notice of the plans to nearby residents who have the opportunity to object to them should they feel it necessary. After a period of around 8-13 weeks you will be informed whether the planning application is ok to go ahead.
Should it be rejected, you will receive written confirmation of why this decision has been taken. This can be appealed against if you believe the decision is unjust.
What happens if I ignore planning permission?
Don’t be tempted to do this as it could really come back to bite you!
If it is discovered that your new extension breaches planning rules you may be ordered to make some expensive adjustments to the design to bring it in line with the rules. Some may not be so lucky and be told to completely knock the extension down and return the area back to how it was.
Leave all planning requirements to Clearview
Customers of Clearview get everything relating to planning permission taken care of by our experienced consultants. They handle it all and make sure that getting a home extension is stress-free.
More information about planning permission can be found in the document about the subject on our Helpful Guides page.
