Planning permission explained

If you’re considering adding a conservatory, large extension or outbuildings to your property, it is essential to obtain all the appropriate permissions before you start on your building project. Failure to do this could prove to be a very expensive mistake as your local authority can force you to alter, or even demolish, the finished work.

Before you even begin to seek official permissions, it’s a good idea to speak to your neighbours first. This will help to avoid any potential disagreements over loss of light, etc. And you should also check that they are happy to allow access via their property should it be needed once the building work starts. In actual fact, the council will inform your neighbours if your intended work does need planning permission, so it’s advisable as well as courteous to let them know in advance.

Planning permission
Your next step is to look at whether your project requires planning permission from the local authority and whether you need building regulations approval. Basically, planning permission determines whether a building can be constructed or extended, whereas building regulations control how the work is undertaken. Many types of building work will require separate permission under both.

Planning is designed to regulate the way our towns, cities and countryside develop, and this includes the appearance of buildings. So, as a general rule, if you’re intending to do major work that affects the exterior of a building, then you will probably need planning permission. There are many different rules and regulations as to when planning permission is required, and these differ as to the type of structure you intend to build. As these can be complex, either call your local council for advice or visit the Planning Portal – the government’s online service for planning.

To apply for planning permission, ask your local council for a planning application form and check how much they charge (it varies according to the type of development). The council should decide on your application within eight weeks.

Building regulations
After you have applied for and received planning permission for your proposed work, you will need to apply for building regulations approval. These set standards for the design and construction of buildings to ensure the health and safety of people who use them. You can get approval from your local authority building control services or from an approved inspector’s (private sector companies) building control services.

Note that if you are employing a builder, you should establish from the start whether you or they are taking responsibility for obtaining planning permission and building regulations approval. You may also need to consider the Party Wall Act 1996 if your intended building project involves any of the following:

• Building on the boundary with a neighbouring property
• Excavating near an adjoining property
• Work on an existing wall shared with another property

If it does, you will need to inform any affected neighbours in writing about what you plan to do. As advised, you should have already discussed your intentions with your neighbours and ironed out any problems before you started your project, so they should be happy to give their consent to the work. If you need further information, you can download a free copy of The Party Wall Act 1996 from www.communities.gov.uk.

If you live in a listed building, you will also have to obtain listed building consent. Consent will be needed if you want to alter or extend a listed building in a manner that would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. Check with your local council as it is a criminal offence to carry out work that needs listed building consent without obtaining it beforehand.

Finally, you’ll need to inform your home insurance company if you’re adding new rooms to your property or increasing the contents – you don’t want to end up underinsured. If you do this before any building work starts, your insurer may be able to give you an idea of how much your premium may be affected and from when any extra cover needs to be in force.

With access to all these benefits, why not get a Privilege Home Insurance quote from us today?