Now is the time to get on with that extension you have long been thinking

Now is the time to get on with that extension you have long been thinking about

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Michael Holmes, spokesperson for The National Home Improvement Show, shares his expert knowledge on Permitted Development rights

With the government planning to develop Permitted Development rights, now is the time to get on with that extension you have long been thinking about. Whether you’re looking to improve your existing house or one you’re intending to buy, it pays to understand how Permitted Development (PD) can be used to add space and value without having to apply for planning permission. Michael Holmes, spokesperson for The National Home Improvement Show and editor of Real Homes magazine, shares his top tips:

Examples of projects which can normally be undertaken to a house using PD rights in England (subject to the conditions detailed in the legislation at www.planningportal.gov.uk) include:

1. Internal alterations, including adding and removing internal walls, doorways and chimneys stacks.

2. A loft conversion, including adding rooflights, together with dormer windows at the rear or side (providing they do not face the highway), plus up to 50m3 of additional volume (40m3 on a terraced house).

3. Garage conversion, including infilling the door opening to match the existing house.

4. Cellar conversion, providing it does not increase the volume of the existing building – although in some areas basement extensions are classed as PD.

5. One or two storey rear extensions projecting up to 3m from the original rear wall (4m over a single storey on a detached house), no higher than the existing house.

6. A side extension up to half the width of the original house up to 4m in height.

7. A porch, no more than 3m2 in area, and 3m in height, and no closer to any boundary than 2m.

8. External alterations, including adding cladding, painting the walls, changing the roof covering, and adding or altering door and window openings.

9. Adding outbuildings up to 4m in height with a pitched roof, or 3m with a flat roof, covering up to 50% of the original garden area.

10. Adding renewables such as solar thermal panels or photovoltaic panels, providing they do not project more than 200mm from the roof of walls, or above the ridge.

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each has its own PD legislation with different rules, and PD rights can be removed or restricted on some properties, for instance in Conservation Areas and the National Parks and listed buildiungs, so before undertaking any work, always check with your local authority whether or not planning permission is required.