Construction

Do conservatories need planning permission?

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You’ve probably been reading up about building rules and designing permissions for conservatories, but don’t panic, for the most part conservatories do not require planning permission. You do, however need to check your building and conservatory plans carefully though as the last thing you’d want is to find out that the decision to improve and expand your home means it is not entirely yours.  Typically you’ll have to at least seek designing approval to be able to do any building work, and failing to run these checks might prove expensive. But in terms of planning permission, the Government’s conservatory development rights allow detached property owners to extend outwards by up to 8 metres.

Getting retrospective planning permission is of course an offence, so you do need to do your homework, even when considering new roofs for conservatories. We know so many people that have spent a great deal of money installing a conservatory and modernising it years later with a new roof only to find they were in breach of the law many decades ago. It can mean that you beloved conservatory has to be knocked down, so do proceed with caution. Generally, it’s a case of following the standard rules and not choosing a conservatory that’s too large.

Don’t be among the small minority who feel they already have the go-ahead before you build, because you should always double check. Any smart conservatory company will be able to assist you in preparing planning permission, should it be needed. So what exactly is planning permission? It is part of UK law and allows you expand on, or change, the use of land or buildings. Conservatories are often an exception to the present rule, as with different glazing, they count as a ‘permitted development right’. Single-storey extensions are often designed while not seeking permission 1st, as long as they abide by these conditions:

  • The conservatory doesn’t expand over 0.5 your garden
  • The house has already been extended
  • The roof ridge is not any above the extension of your property’s roof

In 2013, the government doubled the scale of permissible conservatory developments. Now, in 2019 you extend outward by up to eight metres for detached properties, or just a few metres for different house sorts. Rather than applying for planning permission, you may have to be compelled to bear a ‘Neighbour Consultation Scheme’. This may make sure that your conservatory doesn’t impact negatively on your neighbours’ room, so again this is worth checking first.

For terraced homes, flats and maisonettes, you may still have to be compelled to get planning permission, so size does not matter. Whether or not your conservatory needs planning permission depends entirely on your project specification, and each case is individual. An honest company will assess your conservatory style and placement so as to determine if planning, listed building or conservation consent is needed. They’re going to conjointly prepare full plans and submit them to the office for you, so it can actually be quite a smooth process from start to finish.