If you have not applied for planning permission before you may have heard that it is pretty daunting. Well it can be, but the good news is that you can go ahead with a number of projects under what is known as Permitted Development (PD).
Permitted Development (PD)
You can take advantage of PD as you will not have to apply for planning permission. This is great news as you will save money, time and stress. It is a great way to add value to your home.
While you are able to make a number of changes to your property using the PD route without the need for planning permission there are appearance and size guidelines that you have to understand and adhere to.
Regulations are different in England, Scotland Northern Ireland and Wales so you need to check this. If your property is in a conservation area then your chances of using PD will be limited. Talk to your local council about this.
You can find out what is allowed with PD by going to https://www.planningportal.co.uk/ If you have not extended your property before you will normally be able to extend it by 50% of the total area of the land surrounding your property. Any sheds and other outbuildings will count towards this percentage.
Planning Permission
If you cannot use PD rights for your project then you will need to make a planning permission application. Please bear in mind that it can take up to two months for a decision to be made by your local planning office and you will have to pay a fee.
You will certainly need planning permission for projects that are multi storey. Also if you want to convert your loft and add a balcony or there will be some alteration to the roof space then you will need to make a planning application. The same applies to conversions to stand alone garages and basement projects where you want to add a light well.
Sometimes you will need a party wall agreement as well. If you plan to build up to a boundary wall or even excavate near one then a party wall agreement is required as well as the written permission of your neighbours. Any objection from neighbours will need the intervention of a surveyor.
How to approach Planning Applications
The first thing that you need to do is to have a professional plan produced that includes all of the relevant details and clearly shows your development intentions. This will cost you money but without it you are unlikely to succeed with your application.
If you are refused planning permission then it is vital that you completely understand the reasons for the refusal. In some cases this can just be that minor modifications are required and if this is the case you will need your plan redrawn to accommodate these changes.
If there are significant reasons for your application refusal, far beyond a few modifications, then you can make an appeal. If this is unsuccessful then you will have to rethink your development plans.
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