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Do I need Planning Permission

Do I need Planning Permission? This is probably one of the most common questions I get asked from householders - "Do I need planning permission for an extension?".Well, it depends on many things. I have attempted to outline these below..First of all, is the property on designated land. By this I mean conservation areas, national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites. If it is then you are probably most likely to require planning permission. The same applies for a listed property.Next I would need to know if any development rights have been removed from the property. All houses are built with permitted development rights unless the developer decides to remove some of these when the property is built. A quick call to your local planning department should give you the answer.Planning will also be required if....The new extension is to be built to the front or the side of the property, and either the front or side face a highway. A porch is slightly different, but I'll get onto them later.It is a side extension two storey or more.Its a side extension and the height is more than 4 metres.Its a side extension and the width of the extension is more than half the width of the existing house.The new extension (and any existing extensions) will take up more than half the land around the original house. By original I mean the house as it was originally built, without any extensions.Any new extensions to be higher then the highest part of the roof of the house.Depth of a single storey rear extension is more than 3 metres on an attached house or more than 4 metres on a detached house.Depth of a two storey rear extension is more than 3 metres.The height of a single storey rear extension is more than 4 metres.Any extension within 2 metres of a boundary exceeds an eves height of 3 metres.Any extension is closer then 7 metres of the rear boundary.The roof pitch of a two storey or more extension doesn't match the existing house.The extension includes a veranda, balcony or raised platform.Any side facing glazing on the 2nd story to be clear glass.You plan to use materials that don't match the existing property.What about conservatories?People automatically think conservatories don't need planning - well think again. A conservatory falls under the same rules as an extension.What about a porch?Again, you will need to check if any permitted development rights have been removed first but as long as the following are true, you don't need planning permission for a porch...The external area of the porch does not exceed 3 square metresThe highest part of the porch does not exceed 3 metres.Any part of the porch is over 2 metres away from the boundary facing a highway.So how do I prove I don't need Planning Permission?In the good old day, you could simply write to your local authority and ask them "Do I need Planning Permission?", and they would write back you with a yes or no.This service is now no longer available and local authorities are no longer able to make decisions like this. This all came about by the Mortgage Lenders revised guidelines for Solicitors. These new guidelines stated that any development should have written confirmation that Planning Permission, if needed, was obtained or if Planning was not required, that this also should be confirmed.The way to confirm that planning permission is not required is by means of a certificate of lawfulness. The process to apply for a certificate follows the same procedure for planning permission approval except it is not advertised and neighbours are not consulted.If you are in the process of moving house and you have a development that doesn't have planning permission or a certificate of lawfulness then this can be applied for retrospectively, although there is no guarantee this will be approved.MJF CAD Solutions can assist you in obtaining planning permission or a certificate of lawfulness. Feel free to contact us for any further help.

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