Planning Permission

Planning permission may be required when you are looking to make a major change to your property, for example installing a porch, conservatory, orangery or extension.

Generally, under present legislation, planning permission isn’t needed for most home improvements; even conservatories are now considered a permitted development. However, there are government regulations surrounding the issue, including some size restrictions, and if your installation falls outside of these criteria you will need to make an application.

Conservatory

When installing a conservatory or orangery, some of the restrictions in place include that the installation must not cover more than half of the land surrounding your property, and that it must have a maximum depth of three metres for an attached property and four metres for a detached property. The installation also must not measure taller than the highest part of the roof of your existing property, and if you are planning a single storey rear extension it must not measure taller than four metres.

Porches

When installing a porch planning permission is only applicable to an external door to the dwelling. Adding a porch to any external door is considered a permitted development and you will not need planning permission providing; it does not exceed three square meters, no part of the installation is more than three meters above the ground, and no part of the installation is within two meters of the house boundary and the main road.

Listed Building & Conservation Area

Planning permission may be required for listed buildings or conservation areas. The application process and requirements for each are different. In the case of a listed building, works that include altering, extending or demolishing the building in a way that affects its character require special listed building consent from your local planning authority. In the case of a conservation area you will need planning permission if you wish to demolish a building with a volume larger than 115 cubic meters or demolish a gate, fence or wall over 1 meter high next to a highway (including a bridleway or public footpath)

Further Information

For further information on what restrictions are in place you should speak to your installer, or visit the governments ‘planning portal’. The ‘planning portal’ is the online planning and building regulations resource for England and Wales.

Information regarding planning permissions in Scotland and Northern Ireland may differ and we recommend you speak with your local authority for further information.