It is your responsibility to seek planning permission for any work. You are also expected to find out whether planning permission is required in the first place.
There are many kinds of alterations and additions to houses which don't need planning permission. Below, we discuss most of the types of work you might need or want to do on your house and grounds.
The construction of new property nearly always needs an application for planning permission.
The development plan in force in your area will give you some indication of whether your proposal is likely to be acceptable, so it is worth talking to your council before submitting an application.
If there are difficulties, planning officers may be able to suggest ways to make your proposal more acceptable. However, they cannot guarantee that planning permission will be granted.
The general planning principles and the procedures for making planning applications described in this guide apply equally to owners of houses and to freeholders or leaseholders of flats and maisonettes.
However, the rules that say when you need to apply for planning permission will depend on whether you own a house or a flat/maisonette.
An extension or addition to your home will not require an application for planning permission (a permitted development), provided that:
The term 'original house' means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.
Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.
You will need to apply for planning permission if the extension or addition does not conform to any of these restrictions.
You do not normally need to apply for planning permission to re-roof your house or to insert roof lights or skylights.
The rules allow for roof alterations without the need for planning permission, provided that:
You will need to apply for planning permission if the porch:
Rules governing outbuildings apply to sheds, greenhouses and garages, as well as other ancillary garden buildings such as swimming pools, ponds, sauna cabins, kennels, enclosures (including tennis courts) and many other kinds of structure for which relate to the use of the house.
Outbuildings will be considered to be permitted development, provided that:
The term 'original house' means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.
Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.
Whether or not you need to apply for planning permission when building or replacing a fence, garden wall or gate depends on a number of factors including height and position.
You will need to apply for planning permission if you want to erect or add to a fence, wall or gate and:
You will not need to apply for planning permission for a fence, wall or gate, if you don't increase its height. In a conservation area, however, you might need conservation area consent to take down a fence, wall or gate.
You do not need planning permission for hedges as such, though if a planning condition or a covenant restricts planting (for example, on 'open plan' estates, or where a driver's sight line could be blocked) you may need planning permission and/or other consent.
See our 'Permission to install Sat/TV/radio aerials' section for more information.
In many cases, a change of use of a building or land does not require planning permission. For example, a greengrocer's can be changed to a shoe shop without permission. Planning permission is not required when both the present and proposed use fall within the same 'class' as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 or the Planning (Use Classes) Order (Northern Ireland) 2004.
It is also possible to change use between some classes without making an application. Before you negotiate a lease or buy a property, it may be advisable to consider whether you need to obtain planning permission for your intended use and, if so, your chances of getting it.
You do not necessarily need planning permission to work from home. The key test is whether the overall character of the dwelling will change as a result of the business. If the answer to any of the following questions is 'yes', then permission will probably be needed:
Whatever business you carry out from your home, whether it involves using part of it as a bed-sit or for 'bed and breakfast' accommodation, using a room as your personal office, providing a child minding service, using rooms for hairdressing, dressmaking or music teaching, or using buildings in the garden for repairing cars or storing goods connected with a business - the key test is: is it still mainly a home or has it become business premises?
You do not need to apply for planning permission:
Occasionally, you may need to apply for planning permission for some of these works because your council has made a direction withdrawing permitted development rights.
If you live in a listed building, you will need listed building consent for any significant works whether internal or external. You also may need planning permission to alter, repair or maintain a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure. See the 'Fences, garden walls and gates' heading above.
If you live in a Conservation Area, a National Park, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or the Broads, you will need to apply for planning permission before cladding the outside of your house with stone, tiles, artificial stone, plastic or timber.
You will NOT need planning permission if a new driveway uses permeable (or porous) surfacing which allows water to drain through, such as gravel, permeable concrete block paving or porous asphalt, or if the rainwater is directed to a lawn or border to drain naturally.
If the surface to be covered is more than five square metres planning permission will be needed for laying traditional, impermeable driveways that do not control rainwater running off onto roads.
Planning permission is not normally required. However, permission is required where you extend or alter the roof space and it exceeds the specified limits and conditions.
A loft conversion for your home will be considered to be permitted development, 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.
Putting up decking, or other raised platforms, in your garden is permitted development, provided that:
Planning permission will not usually be required, providing the work is internal and does not involve enlarging the building.
Sometimes permitted development rights have been removed from some properties with regard to garage conversions and therefore you should contact your local planning authority before proceeding, particularly if you live on a new housing development or in a conservation area.
Where work is proposed to a listed building, listed building consent may be required.
For more information, see our 'Loft and Garage conversions' section.
If you decide to demolish a building, even one that has suffered fire or storm damage, it does not automatically follow that you will get planning permission to build a replacement.
You do not need to make a planning application to demolish a listed building or to demolish a building in a conservation area. However, you may need listed building or conservation area consent.
You will not need to apply for planning permission to knock down your house or any of its outbuildings, unless the council has made a direction restricting the demolition or alterations you could normally carry out under permitted development rules.
However, where demolition of any kind of residential property is proposed, the council may wish to agree the details of how you intend to carry out the demolition and how you propose to restore the site afterwards. You will need to apply for a formal decision on whether the council wishes to approve these details before you start demolition. This is what is called a 'prior approval application' and your council will be able to explain what it involves.
If you are looking for more information, you should visit: