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General Advice
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Decide what
you want to build - start with some rough sketches
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Consult
The Local Authority to see if planning permission is likely to be required
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Check if
your property is Listed, in a conservation area, the greenbelt or an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty
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Talk to
your neighbours about your plans
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Seek
professional advice for the plan drawing and any advice on
Party Walls
Try
The Planning Portal for good general advice
Find your
Local Authority
(Berks, Bucks, Hants, Oxon, Wilts)
Planning Permission
Most development requires planning permission. The rules are complicated and
your should consult a professional or The Local authority at an early stage.
Extensions to Houses
Planning Permission is generally required if any of the following applies:
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If the proposed extension is closer to any highway than the original property
unless it is at least 20 metres away from such highway. This includes any public
right of way including bridle paths and footpaths.
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If more than half the original amount of land surrounding the house is covered
by additional buildings
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If the extension is higher than the highest point of the original house
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If the volume of the house is increased by more than 15% (10% for those
properties within a conservation area)
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If the volume of a house is increased by more than 115 cubic metres
Loft conversions
Many loft conversions do not need planning permission, but it will be needed in
the following instances:
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if the loft conversion changes the outside appearance of your property
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if the new rooms will constitute a change of use
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if the area of the
conversion exceeds 50mē
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if the loft is converted into more than two habitable rooms
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if you property is
listed or in a conservation area (or The Local Authority has withdrawn The
General Development Rights in your area)
Extensions to Flats and Maisonettes
Permission is required if you wish to build an extension, an outbuilding such as
a garage, shed or greenhouse, as well as for any other work which would
materially alter the appearance of the building. You will also need to apply for
planning permission to create a hard surface such as a patio.
Demolition
Even though you may not need planning permission to demolish an existing
building, you will almost certainly require permission to build on this newly
available land.
Planning Permission Application
Standard forms from your Local Authority will need to be completed, accompanied by plans and a fee.
How the Local Authority Processes Applications
The council should acknowledge receipt of you application and list it on the
Register of Planning Applications that it is legally required to
maintain. The application is available for public inspection and
publicised to the relevant people and organisations. This will most likely
include your neighbours.
To ensure the application is thoroughly assessed a planning officer may visit
your property to check out the proposed positioning of the extension and to
ensure that the plans submitted match the current layout of the property.
At this stage, representations made by interested parties will be considered.
This is done by the planning officer who co-ordinates all relevant information
and prepares a report on the application and how it should be determined. If the
application is straight forward and non controversial the Chief Planning Officer
may be able to determine the result of a planning application. Other
applications go to the Planning Committee.
How Long Does this Take?
As a guideline, the Local Authority should decide your application within eight weeks.
If it cannot do so, it will usually seek your written consent to extend the
period. If, after the end of the eight week period, you have not heard from the
council either giving/refusing consent or asking for an extension, you can
appeal to the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the
Regions. But appeals can take several months to decide and it may be quicker to
reach agreement with the council.
Refusal of Planning Permission
The Local Authority must give
reasons when refusing planning permission or imposing any conditions. It
is essential to discuss the application as often changes to your
plans may allow the application to be given permission. Modified applications can
often be submitted free of charge within 12 months of a refusal being made.
Appeals
If you think your application has been unfairly treated by the council, you can
make an appeal to the Secretary of State. Any appeals must be made within six
months of the date of the council's notice of decision. Two free booklets
'Making your planning appeal' and 'Guide to taking part in planning appeals' are
available from the Planning Inspectorate, Customer Support Unit, Room 3/15 Eagle
Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN.
Appeals are intended as a last resort and they can take months to decide.
Building Regulations
Assuming you have received planning permission for your building work, you will
then need to apply for Building Regulations.
Building Regulations are a set of minimum building standards which
provide acceptable levels of health and safety. It is
the responsibility of the Building Control Department to
enforce the Building Regulations. These regulations change on a regular basis to
keep in-line with new laws and standards.
When is a Building Regulations Application Required?
These Regulations apply to most building work, whether it is inside or outside
the building. New buildings, extensions and even additions such as extra washing
facilities and hot water storage systems all need approval before work starts.
There are two methods of making a Building Regulations submission, a Building
Notice, and a Full Plans Application.
Building Notice
You can apply for building regulations approval via a Building Notice if you
believe that your plans do not need to be inspected by the council's surveyors.
To apply via this route you will need to provide the council with a completed
Building Notice application form, a site location plan to the relevant scale and
the required fee. You will need to check the relevant fee with your local
council as they can vary dependent on the area in which you live. Once the
council has accepted your application you can commence work after a delay of 48
hours.
Full Plans Application
The majority of building work will require this form of building regulations
submission. Along with a completed Building Regulations application form you
must supply full building plans which must include methods of construction and
materials to be used and a plan of the site location. There will also be an
application fee, the amount of which can be
advised by your Local Authority.
Once you have submitted the application the Local Authority Building Inspector will verify that
the correct method of construction and materials are to be used according to the
relevant building regulations. Building can commence once the application has
been approved.
Inspections
At various stages of the building process, the Local Authority Building Inspector will
visit the site to check that all building regulations are being adhered to. This
is irrespective of whether you have applied for a Building Notice or a Full
Plans Application. The first of these will probably occur once the trench for
the foundations has been completed. There is, again, a fee chargeable by the
council for these inspections and you will probably be invoiced after the first
visit. However, it must be remembered that the inspectors are there to ensure
that your building works are constructed correctly. Therefore, you can ask them
to inspect part of a construction if you are not happy with it. Alternatively,
the builder may ask for the building inspector to attend the site when they are
unsure about a specific situation.
Once the work is satisfactorily completed the Local Authority will issue you with a
Completion Certificate. A Completion Certificate indicates an acceptable
standard of compliance with the Building Regulations at the time of the
Completion Inspection. It is important that you keep this document somewhere
safe as it will be reassuring to potential purchasers when you come to sell your property.
Download The Building Regulations
Click here
for a quote and to instruct your survey online
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