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Kevin McCloud
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Planning Permission

Garden Room Planning Permission

 

Some of the most popular questions we are asked about our garden rooms are surrounding garden room planning permission. Take a read through the questions and advice below to learn everything you need to know about garden room planning permission.

Disclaimer: The information below is advice based on our experience and not a definitive source of legal information. It is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that correct permissions are obtained for their building. Green Retreats do not need evidence of the permissions to complete work. The information below is based on the planning regime for properties in England only.

Do I need planning permission for a garden room?

 

Garden room planning permission is generally not required!

What might surprise you is that more often than not, you can have a garden room installed at your property without the hassle and expense of planning permission.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF I NEED PLANNING PERMISSION?

The need for garden room planning permission depends on whether you have permitted development rights at your property or the area that you live in. Our teams can help advise you on this during your free design consultation, or you can check with your Local Planning Office.

WHY DOES A GARDEN ROOM NOT NEED PLANNING PERMISSION?

Garden rooms generally do not require planning permission because they fall within your permitted development rights. Garden rooms are classed as ‘outbuildings’ and as such can be built on your property without permission as long as you comply with permitted development guidelines.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I NEED GARDEN ROOM PLANNING PERMISSION?

If it turns out that you do require garden room planning permission for your project, we can take care of that application for you!
We will provide the planning authority with all of the information they’ll need, including CAD drawings, and keep on top of the communications on your behalf. Saving you time and hassle.

Did you know?: Green Retreats do not enforce planning permission rules and do not need evidence of planning permission approval to carry out a project – we will only advise. So if you decide to not apply for planning permission, that’s up to you.

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When might I need planning permission for a garden room?

Read below for details on permitted development rights. If your situation does not fit within the conditions then planning permission may be required:

YOUR HOME

The permitted development allowances only apply to houses – not flats, maisonettes or other buildings.

If your house is a listed building or in a designated area then permitted development may not apply. Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.

In some areas, Article 4 directions may mean that your permitted development rights have been removed, but a quick chat to your local planning authority will give you that information.

DESIGNATED LAND

Permitted development may not be allowed in certain areas classed as designated land, such as; national parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites. In these locations, the total area to be covered by garden rooms more than 20 metres from any walls of the house must not exceed 10 square metres to fall within permitted development.

On designated land garden rooms to the side of the house are also not permitted development.

TALLER GARDEN ROOMS

Garden rooms must be single-story and less than 3m in height to fall within permitted development, which our buildings always are.

If your garden room is to be built within 2 metres of your property boundary then it should not exceed 2.5m in height – which is the standard height of our buildings so that’s taken care of!

Our garden rooms come at 2.5m high as standard with extended height options of 2.7m or 3m.

WHAT YOU PLAN TO USE THE BUILDING FOR

How you use your garden room is up to you. However, it is important to know that officially any building must not itself be separate self-contained living accommodation as this will not fall within permitted development. If you are planning on using your building for commercial use this will always require planning permission.  Microwave antennas are always not allowed under permitted development.

WHERE YOU CAN BUILD

Outbuildings such as garden rooms are not permitted development if they are built in front of the principal elevation of your house as it stood on 1 July 1948.

TOTAL SIZE OF BUILDINGS

Outbuildings and other additions to your home and garden must not exceed 50% of the total area of land around the original house (as it stood on 1 July 1948). Sheds, extensions and all other outbuildings added to the original house must be included when calculating this 50% limit. This includes alternations that a previous owner may have made, so this is good to check.

Lawful Development Certificate

If your situation is not clear cut and you have concerns about the legality of adding a garden room, we offer a Certificate of Lawfulness service. For this service we charge £500, where our planning team can complete an application on your behalf, for added peace of mind. This may be helpful when selling your house or if your neighbours have any concerns. An LDC is chargeable. Find out more here…

How we can help…

Garden rooms are our speciality, so our friendly and knowledgeable teams can help give you the advice and direction you need to determine whether you might require garden room planning permission for your project. Get in touch and we would be glad to help!

If you do need planning permission for your project then we will take care of the hassle for you, giving you one less thing to worry about!

Alternatively, if you have concerns that you may require garden room planning permission for your project then we recommend checking with your local planning authority just to double-check.

Inspiration 2.5m x 2.5m - Home Office -2

Watch our video

about Garden Room Planning Permission & Permitted Development

 

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