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General Permitted Development Guide

Permitted Development is in effect a Government Grant to Build various elements such as Extensions and Loft conversions without the need to obtain planning permission. "The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015" is the best way to get results in a quick turnover without the need of applying for planning permission. Call our team today for a Free consultation to see if your proposed Extension or Loft conversion fits under the PD rules to start your project in a matter of weeks.

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT RULES IN 2022 ENGLAND

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WHAT ARE THE PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT RULES?

Permitted development rights are basically a scheme, created by the local government, that enables the homeowner to extend or renovate their property without the need to obtain Planning Consent, saving time not applying or waiting for a planning application to go through. This Permitted Development scheme expanded in 2013 to include larger projects and more options for home improvement for most of the homes in England. These planning changes included extensions being permitted double in length from 3 meters to 6 in terraced properties and from 4 meters to 8 meters in detached houses.

PROPERTIES THAT ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE RULES.

The properties which are excluded from any Permitted Development rights are Listed as:

Homes within Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.

  • Properties located in Conservation Areas or Areas of outstanding natural beauty.

  • Listed buildings.

  • Flats or maisonettes.

  • Some new developments.

  • Properties that have been extended previously.

  • Properties that have restrictions put in place or removed.

PROPOSALS COVERED BY PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS.

There are various schemes allowed under permitted development guidelines, from Extensions (double storey - Single Storey), Loft Conversions to Changes of Use Classes, below is a summary of what can be achieved under PD to help you understand the scope to fit your criteria. 

LOFT CONVERSION - (roof extension)

A loft conversion for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.

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  • A volume allowance of 50 cubic metres of additional roof space for detached and semi-detached dwellings.

  • A volume allowance of 40 cubic meters of additional roof space for terraced dwellings.

Note: Any previous roof space additions must be included within this volume allowance. Although you may not have created additional space a previous owner may have done so.

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  • The development must not include a window in any wall or roof slope forming a side elevation of the dwelling house.

  • The roof pitch of the principal part of the dwelling must be the same as the roof pitch of the existing house.

  • Any proposed Skylights not to protrude more than 150mm from the existing roof plane.

  • Any proposed dormer cannot be forward the existing front roof plane.

  • A roof extension beyond the plane of the existing roof slope of the principal elevation that fronts a highway/s is NOT permitted development. If a house sits on a corner plot where a side elevation fronts a highway, there will be an additional restriction on permitted development to the side of the house.

  • Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.

  • No part of the extension to be higher than the highest part of the existing roof.

  • Verandas, balconies or raised platforms are NOT permitted development.

  • Any side-facing windows must be obscure glazed and non-opening unless the parts which can be opened are more than 1.7 metres above the floor of the room in which it is installed.

  • Roof extensions, apart from hip to gable ones, to be set back, as far as is practicable, at least 20cm from the original eaves. The 20cm distance is measured along the roof plane.

Note: The roof enlargement cannot overhang the outer face of the wall of the original house.

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  • Work on a loft or a roof may affect bats. You need to consider protected species when planning work of this type. A survey may be needed, and if bats are using the building, a licence may be required.

Other Roof alterations

Other roof alterations are considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.

  • The installation, alteration or replacement of a chimney, flue or soil and vent pipe.

  • The installation, alteration or replacement of solar photovoltaic or solar thermal equipment.

  • The alteration would protrude more than 0.15 metres beyond the plane of the slope of the original roof when measured from the perpendicular with the external surface of the original roof.

REAR EXTENSION

A proposed Rear Extension for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.

  • Meaning to the rear of the house. (not the front)

  • Must not extend beyond the rear wall of the existing house by 3m if an attached house or 4m if detached.

  • Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.

  • The proposal takes up less than 50% of the size of the land around the original house ("original" being the latest of when the property was built or if it was built before 1948, then as it stood on 1st July 1948)

  • Extension Is less than 4m in height. (or less than 3m if within 2m of a property boundary)

  • The Extension has eaves and a ridge that is no taller than the existing house.

  • Any extension forward of the principal elevation line will not be permitted development and will require an application for planning permission.

Note: The principal elevation could include more than one wall facing in the same direction - for example, where there are large bay windows on the front elevation, or where there is an ‘L’ shaped frontage. In such cases, all such walls will form the principal elevation and the line for determining what constitutes ‘extends beyond a wall’ will follow these walls.

Larger home extension - Neighbour consultation scheme

Larger single-storey extensions, extending beyond the rear of the original house by more than 4 metres and less than 8 metres if a detached house, or by more than 3 metres and less than 6 metres in any other case, are subject to a neighbour consultation scheme to assess the impact of the proposed development on the amenity of their property. 

SIDE EXTENSION

​A proposed Side Extension for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.

  • Meaning to the side (as long as this will not face a highway) of the house (not the front)

  • Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.

  • The proposal takes up less than 50% of the size of the land around the original house ("original" being the latest of when the property was built or if it was built before 1948, then as it stood on 1st July 1948)

  • The Extension takes up less than 50% of the width of the original house.

  • Extension Is less than 4m in height. (or less than 3m if within 2m of a property boundary)

  • The Extension has eaves and a ridge that is no taller than the existing house.

  • The Extension can extend beyond the rear wall of the original dwellinghouse by more than 3 metres or 6 metres in any other case, are subject to a neighbour consultation scheme to assess the impact of the proposed development on the amenity of their property. 

  • Extension to be within 7 metres of any boundary of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse being enlarged which is opposite the rear wall of that dwellinghouse.

WRAPAROUND EXTENSION

Wraparound (L-Shape) single-storey extensions do not apply when combining a side and rear extension to form a ‘wraparound’, the permitted development restrictions will be judged against the criteria for both extensions individually, making it unlikely for the project to fall under your permitted development rights. For example, side extensions are only permitted development where they are less than half the width of the original dwelling, but when combining a side and rear extension in this manner, it will likely exceed half the width of the original which is the allowance set.

While a side Extension and a rear Extension following the rules set as above are permitted, the space in the corner element to join the two Extensions together would need planning consent as this corner area does not fall under PD. 

TWO - STOREY EXTENSION

​A proposed Two Storey Extension for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.

  • Meaning to the side (as long as this will not face a highway) of the house (not the front)

  • Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.

  • Two storey side Extension takes up less than 50% of the width of the original house.

  • Extension to be set within 2m of property boundaries.

  • The Extension has a ridge that is no taller than the existing house.

  • The Extension can extend beyond the rear wall of the original dwellinghouse by no more than 3 metres. 

  • Extension to be within 7 metres of any boundary of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse being enlarged which is opposite the rear wall of that dwellinghouse.

  • The roof pitch of the enlarged part must, so far as practicable, be the same as the roof pitch of the original dwellinghouse, flats roofs are not accepted.

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Note: Verandahs, balconies and raised platforms are not permitted development and will require planning permission. A veranda is understood to be a gallery, platform, or balcony, usually roofed and often partly enclosed, extending along the outside of a building at ground level. A balcony is understood to be a platform with a rail, balustrade or parapet projecting outside an upper storey of a building. A ‘Juliet’ balcony, where there is no platform and therefore no external access, would normally be permitted development. A raised platform is any platform with a height greater than 0.3 metres and will include roof terraces.

GARAGE CONVERSION

​A proposal for a Garage conversion for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.

  • Integral Garage which is attached to the dwelling in mind.

  • Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house, such as adding windows to match existing.

  • The Garage does not enlarge the existing building.

PORCH EXTENSION

​A proposal for a Porch extension for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.

  • Integral Garage which is attached to the dwelling in mind.

  • Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house, such as adding windows to match existing.

  • The Garage does not enlarge the existing building.

  • The ground area (measured externally) of the structure would exceed 3 square metres.

  • Any part of the structure would be more than 3 metres above ground level.

  • Any part of the structure would be within 2 metres of any boundary of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse with a highway

ALTERATIONS TO THE DWELLING HOUSE

  • All materials are to be similar in appearance to the existing house. (like for like)

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Note: The development is not permitted by Class A if the development would consist of or include the cladding of any part of the exterior of the dwellinghouse with stone, artificial stone, pebble dash, render, timber, plastic or tiles; the cladding of any part of a house, whether it be the original house or any enlarged part is not permitted development and requires an application for planning permission.

Conditions

The Development is permitted by Class A subject to the following conditions.

 

  • The materials used in any exterior work (other than materials used in the construction of a conservatory) shall be of a similar appearance to those used in the construction of the exterior of the existing dwellinghouse

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The condition above is intended to ensure that any works to enlarge, alter or improve a house result in an appearance that minimises visual impact and is sympathetic to existing development. This means that the materials used should be of similar visual appearance to those in the existing house, but does not mean that they need to be the same materials.

 

For example:

  • The external walls of an extension should be constructed of materials that provide a similar visual appearance.

 

for example in terms of colour and style of brick used - to the materials used in existing house walls.

 

  • a pitched roof on an extension should be clad in tiles that give a similar visual appearance to those used on the existing house roof.

Again, colour and style will be important considerations; flat roofs will not normally have any visual impact and so, where this is the case, the need for materials of similar appearance should not apply.

 

it may be appropriate to replace existing windows with new uPVC double-glazed windows or include them in an extension even if there are no such windows in the existing house. What is important is that they give a similar visual appearance to those in the existing house, for example in terms of their overall shape, and the colour and size of the frames. 

Replacing existing windows to large pane glazing to any front/side elevation is not permitted and will require planning permission. 

Excessive Size Windows

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Cladding Alteration

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OUT BUILDINGS

​A proposal for an Outbuilding for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.

  • Any building or enclosure, swimming or other pool required for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such, or the maintenance, improvement or other alteration of such a building or enclosure. 

  • Any container used for domestic heating purposes for the storage of oil or liquid petroleum gas.

  • The total area of ground covered by buildings, enclosures and containers within the curtilage. (other than the original dwellinghouse) would exceed 50% of the total area of the curtilage (excluding the ground area of the original dwellinghouse)

  • Any part of the building, enclosure, pool or container would be situated on land forward of a wall forming the principal elevation of the original dwellinghouse.

  • The proposed building to have no more than a single storey.

  • 2.5 metres in the case of a building, enclosure or container within 2 metres of the boundary of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse.

  • The max height of the Outbuilding is to be 4 metres in the case of a building with a dual-pitched roof set 2 meters away from any boundary of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse.

  • The max height of the Outbuilding is to be 3 metres in the case of a building with a mono-pitched roof set 2 meters away from any boundary of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse.

  • The building, enclosure, pool or container would be situated within the curtilage of a listed building.

HARD SURFACES

​A proposal for any alteration to hard surfaces for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.​​

  • The provision of a hard surface for any purpose is incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse as such.

  • The replacement in whole or in part of such a surface

CHIMNEY, FLUES ETC.

​A proposal for any alteration or installing chimneys or flues for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.​​

  • The height of the chimney, flue or soil and vent pipe would exceed the highest part of the roof by 1 metre or more.

  • The chimney, flue or soil and vent pipe would be installed on a wall or roof slope which- (i) fronts a highway, and (ii) forms either the principal elevation or a side elevation of the dwellinghouse.

MICROWAVE ANTENNA

​A proposal for installation of any antenna for your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met.​​​

  • In the case of an antenna to be installed on a roof without a chimney, the highest part of the antenna would be higher than the highest part of the roof.

  • In the case of an antenna to be installed on a roof with a chimney, the highest part of the antenna would be higher than the highest part of the chimney, or 0.6 metres measured from the highest part of the ridge tiles of the roof, whichever is the lower.

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CALL OUR TEAM ON 07838135957 ANYTIME AND WE WILL BE HAPPY TO GO THROUGH YOUR PROPOSALS WITH YOU. WE OFFER A FREE CONSULTATION FROM GIVING ADVICE ON THE STAGES NEEDED TO THE DESIGN ITSELF.​

CONTACT: 07838135957 

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