New Planning Regulations for Home Improvement

As a result of changes to the planning system which came in to effect on 1 st October 2008 the majority of extensions and loft conversions to residential properties will be deemed 'Permitted Developments'. Homeowners are not required to put in a planning application for a Permitted Development.

The number of planning applications being submitted by UK residents has risen steadily since the start of the last property boom in the mid 1990s. There are expected to be more than 330,000 applications in the current year.

Small extensions have been deemed permitted developments for some time but the changes are expected to remove around a quarter of the remaining applications from the in-trays of overburdened planning officers, and in the process save the taxpayer up to £50 million a year.

Under the new regulations, as long as a planned extension adheres to a set of guidelines it will be given Permitted Development status. The main guidelines are listed below:

Extensions

Detached properties can be extended to the rear by up to 4 metres, measured from the original building line, without planning permission. For semi-detached and terraced properties this maximum depth is reduced to 3 metres. Where a rear extension is two or more storeys high none of it should extend by more than 3 metres.

In addition there are restrictions on the height of new extensions; single storey extensions should be no more than 4 metres high and extensions of 2 or more storeys should protrude no higher than the roofline of the existing property. All side extensions must be single storey only and must be no more than half the width of the original property.

Loft Conversions

Maximum volume allowances will still apply to loft conversions although they are somewhat generous. For attached houses the volume allowance is 40 cubic metres, increasing to 50 cubic metres on detached properties. New dormers and raised gables on most average sized houses will fall comfortably within these new figures.

The rule prohibiting dormers on roof elevations facing a highway will remain in place and all new dormers will not be permitted to extend above the ridge of the existing roof structure.

These rules relate to permitted developments only; extensions that fall outside of these guidelines won't necessarily be prohibited but they will require planning permission. If you are in any doubt you should contact your local planning office to discuss the proposals before commencing work. Further restrictions will apply to properties within Conservation Areas and to Listed Buildings.

Despite the relaxation of the planning laws the requirement to obtain Building Regulation approval on all extensions and loft conversions will remain. It should also be borne in mind that if the work involves cutting in to, or excavating within 3 metres of, a party wall it will fall within the scope of The Party Wall Act . Owners that intend carrying out work which falls within the scope of the Act have an obligation to notify their neighbours

Front Gardens

Another area that is covered by the new regulations is driveways. Flooding caused by rainwater running-off paved-over front gardens has become a big issue in recent years.

To try and reduce the impact of this phenomenon the Government has made it easier to build a driveway covering an area greater than 5 square metres, where materials that allow rainwater to soak through to the ground below are used. Permission will not be required where permeable materials such as gravel, paving slaps with open joints or concrete strips with soak-aways between are used.

Details of all the new regulations can be viewed on the Government Planning Portal .

Article written by Justin Burns MRICS of Peter Barry Chartered Surveyors & Party Wall Consultants