Planning Permission & Building Regulations

for Gable Conservatories

Under the current legislation, if your new Planet Gable conservatory meets certain criteria you will not require planning permission from your local authority in Cumbria or Lancashire. It’s worth noting that there are exceptions, for example if you are adding a conservatory to a house that has already been extended, however Planet South Lakes will ensure that all the appropriate planning permissions and building regulations are applied for and adhered to throughout the build process.

For your information, below is a summary of the basic principles that need to be adhered to in order to ensure your Gable Conservatory remains exempt from planning permission:

• Their floor area is less than 30 square metres and built at ground level .
• At least three quarters of the roof and half the new wall comprises of either glazed or translucent material.
• Quality external door(s) separate the Gable conservatory from the house.
• Glazing and any fixed electrical installations comply with the applicable building regulations requirements.

From 1st October 2008 new rules for conservatories and extensions took affect which replaced the old rules and affect conservatories as follows:

• Maximum depth of a single-storey rear extension of three metres for an attached house and four metres for a detached house. The width of a conservatory running along the back length of a house is not constrained at all unless it projects beyond the house which is constrained by rule 3. A house is only detached if there is no solid structure connecting it to a neighbour. A "link" house is therefore not detached nor would be two houses with a common garage. The rules on what counts as being detached have not changed from the previous ones.
• No extension forward of the principal elevation or side elevation fronting a highway. This means that any conservatory on the front or side of a house that will be closer to a public highway than the original house will need planning permission. A highway is any public right of way including footpaths
• Maximum height of a single-storey rear extension of four metres.
• Maximum eaves height of an extension within two metres of the boundary of three metres from the lowest point on the ground.
• Side extensions to be single storey with maximum height of four metres and width no more than half that of the original house.
• On designated land no permitted development for rear extensions of more than one storey; no cladding of the exterior; no side extensions.
• No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
• No more than half the area of land around the "original house" would be covered by additions or other buildings.

While permitted development rights now allow for the construction of many Gable conservatories without planning permission you may have to limit their size and material construction if you want to avoid building regulations. If a conservatory you are building does not meet any of the above four rules then it will have to adhere to building regulations in full.

For further information on Planning Permission & Building Regulations for Gable Conservatories - contact us online or if you prefer, freephone 0800 612 2255 or visit our Kendal or Lancaster showrooms.