Residential

Will my house extension need planning permission? It seems a straight forward enough question and it is probably the single most common question put before us – “will my house extension require planning permission?” There are many pitfalls to be avoided avoid along the way but if your proposed house extension satisfies the criteria below then the chances are you will not need to go down the full plans route.

Please note that in most cases you will still need to satisfy building regulations when building a new extension or carrying out other such works to your property.

Building regulation approval can be achieved either via pre-site approval whereby detailed plans of your proposed works are submitted to your local building control department or via onsite approval method whereby you issue a building order to your building control department at the start of the works and then your approval is achieved via regular onsite visits by your local council building control officer.

With both methods there will be a requirement for the building officer to attend the site at several key stages during the works and provided he or she is happy with everything they will grant your new extension with building regulatory approval.

Of course, being an architectural services company you would expect us to advise you to obtain a full set of building Regulation drawings and go down the pre site approval route every single time.

This is not the case however, and for a straightforward extension, and provided you have 100% faith in your building contractors ability then onsite approval by way of a building notice may well be the better option for you – it certainly reduces time as pre-site building regulation approval for an average house extension will take around 5 weeks to obtain not to mention the plan checking fees.

Even when working to a building notice it is still beneficial to have a set of building regulations plans so that the builder can demonstrate the intended build to the building control officer during his inspection, it also helps the builder to construct a far more accurate price for the building of your house extension.

If your house extension plans have just passed planning and you have not yet employed a builder then it is highly recommended to have a full set of building regulation drawings produced as these will be used as builders work drawings by whichever builder you apoint to carry out the works.

Furthermore, provided the builder provides a quotation based on your plans there is less chance of any misunderstandings which may result in you incurring additional charges for your dream house extension to the price originally agreed with your builder.

The other advantage of obtaining building regulation plans is that provided your apointed builder carries out his works to the specification on the plans then your extension should pass building regulations control with ease.

It seems a straight forward enough question and it is probably the single most common question put before us – “will my house extension require planning permission?”There are many pitfalls to be avoided avoid along the way but if your proposed house extension satisfies the criteria below then the chances are you will not need to go down the full plans route.

For this you will need to send in plans for approval but the local authority fees are less than a full plans application.

Call us to discuss your potential development ideas on 084481 81810 or submit an email on our contact form

Please note that in most cases you will still need to satisfy building regulations when building a new extension or carrying out other such works to your property.

How do I find out if I need planning permission? Go to the government’s Interactive House tool on the Planning Portal website. The ‘Do you need permission?’ section of their website also contains plenty of help and advice.

Building regulation approval can be achieved either via pre-site approval whereby detailed plans of your proposed works are submitted to your local building control department or via onsite approval method

Whereby you issue a building order to your building control department at the start of the works and then your approval is achieved via regular onsite visits by your local council building control officer

Your Responsibilities With all building work, the owner of the property (or land) in question is ultimately responsible for complying with the relevant planning rules and building regulations.

If you have already an idea of your project, or want to discuss your sites development potential, please feel free to call us on 020 8166 1531 or contact our team.

Building RegulationWith both methods there will be a requirement for the building officer to attend the site at several key stages during the works and provided he or she is happy with everything they will grant your new extension with building regulatory approval.Of course, being an architectural services company you would expect us to advise you to obtain a full set of building Regulation drawings and go down the pre site approval route every single time.Our services include assisting with achieving building regulation compliance.

1. Detailed drawings Specification
2. Structural calculations
3. Timber and steel layout drawings
4. Application submission
5. Council amendments if required

Planning Permission For Loft Conversions? A loft conversion for your home will be considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:

*Designated areas include national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites are generally exempt from permitted development

• A volume allowance of 40 cubic metres for terraced houses.
• A volume allowance of 50 cubic metres 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.
• Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.
• No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
• No extension to be higher than the highest part of the roof.
• Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.
• No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.