New planning rules for conservatories and extensions take effect

New permitted development rules introduced by the Government on October 1 mean many homeowners will no longer need to apply for planning permission to extend their homes.

Under these new regulations adding an extension or a conservatory to a home is considered to be permitted development, not needing an application for planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions outlined on the Planning Portal website. There’s also a nifty interactive house which can be used as a visual guide for people unsure whether they need planning or not.

Housing minister Caroline Flint said she was axing red tape to help families who cannot afford a bigger house or get a mortgage for one.

The changes will increase the maximum size for building projects that do not require planning permission, which can cost up to £1,000 to acquire. Miss Flint predicted the overhaul will remove around 80,000 planning applications – a quarter of the total – from the system, saving £40million.

From now on extensions of up to two storeys can be built without planning permission as long as they extend no more than ten feet from the back of a property.

Loft conversions will also be allowed without planning consent, as long as they extend no more than 8in from the eaves of a property and are no more than 50 cubic metres in size – roughly equivalent to a room 18ft by 12ft.

Large and more intrusive home improvements, such as extensions going back over three metres from the original property line, or loft conversions of more than 50 cubic metres, will still require planning permission and statutory consultation with neighbours. The same applies to extensions of listed homes and those in many conservation areas. Even so, most homes will find it easier to extend from now on.

Before this year’s housing market crash some 11 per cent of owner-occupiers moved house annually. But many are now unable to find a mortgage at an affordable cost or are reluctant to sell when prices are falling. As a result, more people are considering extensions.

Around nine in ten applications are accepted and ministers believe they are wasting the time of councils, which should be concentrating on more difficult decisions and larger projects.

According to Cherry Maslen at the Telegraph:
The news that planning permission won’t be needed for small extensions from October 1 is having a galvanising effect on those hesitating over home improvements because of falling property prices. Added to this, recent forecasts that it could be a few years before the market picks up is encouraging more householders to give up any idea of moving and start improving.

Sainsbury’s Finance are now predicting that a Fifth of UK homeowners are now planning to make structural changes. The findings show that in the 12 months from May this year up to 5.3 million homeowners intend to undertake some sort of major structural work, with 1.3 million saying they are planning on converting their loft or roof and 950,000 planning a rear extension to their property.

Alasdair Dunne, of Strutt & Parker in Market Harborough, says extenders must consider a home’s resale appeal. “Plot size is critical – you must be able to offer a suitable garden,” he says. He warns that a loft extension may make a house disproportionately large for its garden.

“The smart money probably goes on a conservatory.”