Part 2 ... Outline Planning | Full Planning | Householder Planning | Permitted Development | Listed Building | Retrospective

I deviated for my last post as I decided to celebrate International Women's Day and show my face to celebrate being a female in a (still) very male dominated industry. The funny thing is I never thought of it like that when I went off to university, I simply pursued what I enjoy and I continue that today!

So with that said I shall return to trying to make this planning system a little clearer for those wondering 'what does it all mean and how do you know which one is best for your project?'

Permitted Development | Listed Building | Retrospective

IN SUMMARY:

Permitted Development: you can make a number of smaller changes to your property without needing to apply for planning permission. This is good for the addition of a small conservatory or a loft conversion but it is always worth considering other options as this approach could lead to unnecessary compromises and restrictions.

Listed Building: consent is required for all works to a listed building that affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. This consent is likely to be required alongside a full or householder application.

Retrospective: this is not an ideal approach but for work that has already been completed without an approved application this is needed to complete permission.

PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT:

The most common permitted developments are small rear extensions to properties but it is not quite as simple as that because they are subject to various limits and restrictions; including those on their height, size and location. As a general rule a single storey rear extension must not extend beyond the rear wall of your house by more than 4 metres and cannot exceed 4 metres in height (subject to roof conditions met).

The rules cover a lot more than just length and height for example; as a result of the works, the total area of ground covered by building within the curtilage of the property cannot exceed 50% of the total remaining area of the curtilage.

In terms of rear extensions the height of the part enlarged, improved or altered cannot exceed the height of the highest part of the roof of the existing, same is the case for the eaves so this may exclude some single storey properties. There are further considerations about height depending on the pitch of the roof required, many to discourage building higher with a flat roof. Another consideration must be the proximity to the boundary. If the proposal is to be within 2 metres of the boundary then a differing set of rules will apply. 

The proposal cannot extend beyond a wall comprised in the principal elevation of the original property and should remain 5 metres from the highway, this is also generally encouraged against in most planning applications, though there is always the possibility of the exception to the rule depending on the individual property!

Side extensions of more than one storey are now considered under permitted development but with the size restrictions in place there is likely little gain for the effort to achieve this and, as I suggested above, all options should be considered so that you are not making unnecessary compromises to the quality of the space you create. 

Outbuildings are considered under permitted development if they are not located in front of the building line of the principal elevation, they do not extend beyond the side elevation of the house, any part of the development within 2 metres of a boundary of the house does not exceed a height of 2.5 metres or any part of the development within 2 metres of the house does not exceed a height of 1.5 metres. Outbuildings cannot exceed more than one storey in height and are subject to similar height rules, depending on the pitch of the roof, as extensions.

Permitted development rights do not usually apply to Listed Buildings and in areas subject to environmental protection. If your property is situated within a National Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty or a conservation area, then further discussions would be needed to determine if the proposal falls within permitted development.

Most work that does not require planning permission because it is permitted development is still likely to need Building Regulations approval. 

LISTED BUILDING CONSENT:

Back in January I chatted through what a Listed Building is; if you have missed it take a look HERE, but what is required for a Listed Building Application?

Any extension or significant alteration will require a Listed Building Application, this is a similar process to any other planning application but with particular attention paid to the heritage features and details. The main difference to the application is the requirement of a Heritage Statement; a key document of research used to both inform the design and justify the decisions made during the process.

Adding an extension to a listed building needs to be carefully considered. In the first instance, it is important that there is an understanding of the particular character of the building, how it has evolved over time and how its sits within its surroundings. Any new extension should not dominate the listed building and therefore should be smaller in scale and height. A rear extension will generally have less impact on a historic building as it cannot be seen from the front of the building, although a side extension may also work well. Extensions that project to the front of a Listed Building are rarely given permission, as the front elevation is generally the most important and most visible part of the building. The design, style and materiality of a new extension also need to be carefully considered so that they are sympathetic and complementary to the character of the listed building.

Many elements of maintenance will also require permission. I have had submitted applications for all sorts of different minor works; more recently from shop windows and doors to rear extensions, general maintenance and boundary walls. Quite often this leads on to requiring an understanding of local design guides, tree protection orders and other material and ecology considerations.

Historic windows and doors are usually very important to the character of a listed building and contribute to significance through design, materials and workmanship. The retention of historic carpentry that contributes to this significance is therefore encouraged.

Pointing contributes to the visual appearance of a building in both colour and profile and so repointing large areas of a building will require consent.

Any work to repair a roof will almost certainly require consent. Even when re-using existing slates or tiles it is likely that replacing those damaged, and also broken during removal, will be required, typically this could be up to 25%.

There is a growing recognition of the need to improve the thermal efficiency of buildings, but whilst the energy efficiency of older buildings can be improved it is unlikely they will ever match the performance of modern buildings. Where energy efficiency measures are undertaken correctly, there is a real opportunity to have a positive effect on the building, provided that two key principles are observed:

• that the materials used are appropriate to the building, and in most cases water-vapour permeable:
• that adequate ventilation is maintained.

RETROSPECTIVE PLANNING:

If you have gone ahead without the required permission the council may simply ask you to apply retrospectively but that will depend on the nature of the development and its effect on neighbours. If the council considers that the development involves a breach of planning control, it may take it further with remedial enforcement action.

There are time limits also attached to submitting a Retrospective Application so as soon as you are aware of an issue it is best to address it.

For further advice

Call me on 07584992755 or contact me at cmarchitectural15@gmail.com

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