It is with some apprehension that I will now do my best now to throw some light on the tricky topic of planning permissions. Truly we are embarking together along a path where angels fear to tread – but here goes.
Provided you don’t want to extend your property by more than three metres beyond the rear wall of the house for terraced and semi-detached houses, and four metres for detached properties, and provided the extension doesn’t take up more than half of the unbuilt land around the property, you may not need to get planning permission because of what are called “permitted development rights”.
You can see the exceptions / restrictions in more detail in the Permitted development rights for householders: technical guidance notes which are produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Thanks to some temporary increases to the size limits for single-story extensions it can be six metres for terraced and semi-detached houses, and eight metres for detached properties and you could get a much bigger extension without planning permission provided it is completed by 30 May 2019.You must be aware however that whether planning permission is required or not, any and all works will have to fully comply with building regulations.
Adding a conservatory to your house is considered to be permitted development and there is usually no need to make a planning application , but again and as always , this is subject to certain limits and conditions. Sometimes , although you may not need formal planning permission, you may need to send a “notification of a proposed larger home extension” to the planning authorities and also consult with your neighbours. It’s worth noting that local planning authorities have been known to remove permitted development rights in some areas, so you must look into this before starting woks or putting in an offer to purchase a new home. Some of the main restrictions are:
- No more than half the area of land around the “original house” can be covered by additions or other buildings.
- No extension allowed forward of the principal elevation or side elevation fronting a highway.
- No extension to be higher than the highest part of the roof..
A loft conversion for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, subject to limits and conditions:
Some of the main restrictions are :
- A volume allowance of 40 cubic metres additional roof space for terraced houses
- A volume allowance of 50 cubic metres additional roof space for detached and semi-detached houses*
- No extension beyond the plane of the existing roof slope of the principal elevation that fronts the highway
- No extension to be higher than the highest part of the roof
Basements – and do we need planning permission ? – not necessarily thanks to our old friend – permitted development rights , but all in fact depends on where you live and what exactly you want to build. If you want to convert an existing cellar or basement into a living space, this will probably not require planning permission — unless you plan to materially alter the external appearance of your home , for example by adding a light well. Excavating the ground under your home to create a basement is a different matter. If it involves major works you may well require planning permission. There are of course rules about the size and location of your basement. For a start, there are limits to how deep you can dig and how far you can extend. When you buy a house, you also generally buy the land underneath it, so it won’t come as a big surprise to hear that you can’t dig a basement that extends beyond your property to land owned by someone else. You also can’t dig a basement that extends more than 3 metres beyond the back wall of your house. Depending on the size of your garden, you might not even get that far, because you must leave at least seven metres between the end of your basement and the boundary of any opposite neighbour.
Doing your sums.
It is all very well thinking about extending / improving your home and all the planning issues / complications but you must always “ keep the big picture in mind “ in respect of costs and the actual added saleability / and the added value to your property.
Broadly speaking and provided there is adequate headroom, turning an existing cellar into extra living space costs around the same as for a simple loft conversion, at around £1,000–1,350 / m². However if you have to lower the floor level to increase headroom, and dig out the ground beneath the house and underpin the foundations, then the work is expensive and more like £2,000- £4,000/m².
In contrast converting a garage into extra living space does not usually involve major structural work and is relatively speaking not expensive.
Our best advice is this.
If you are thinking of improvements / extensions at your home then talk to us first on a free / no obligation basis . We are happy to do a current market appraisal / valuation and provide an estimation of the new market value with the works “ all done “. In addition after 20 years in the property business we can recommend various builders / tradesmen who are well regarded in Harrogate.
What we cannot offer however is any definitive planning advice that must be left to the Planning experts.
If you wish to discuss the above or are interested in the Property market in Harrogate then please come along and see us and enjoy a free no obligation chat about the services we provide.
Charles.