Do You Require Planning Permission to Work from Your Garden Room?
Updated: 14 September 2024
Reading Time: 1 minute 44 seconds
Many people visit this site looking for a garden room they can use as a workspace or to run a business. We understand that buyers are often unsure whether they need to apply for planning permission to do this.
There is plenty of information available about planning permission and Permitted Development for garden rooms, but most of it focuses on the building itself, not the type of work you plan to carry out.
Even if your garden room complies with Permitted Development, the intended use may still require planning approval. It’s essential to check your position to avoid issues later.
The definitive resource for planning permission queries is the Planning Portal. The Planning Portal includes a section specifically dedicated to working from home.
This article is part of a series that explores the rules you need to consider when building a garden room.
Working from Home and Planning Permission
The Planning Portal's guide to working from home asks you to consider the following questions. If you answer 'yes' to any of them, you will need to apply for planning permission:
- Will your home no longer be used primarily as a private residence?
- Will your business result in a noticeable increase in traffic or visitors?
- Will your business involve activities that are unusual in a residential area?
- Will your business disturb your neighbours at unreasonable hours or create other nuisances such as noise or smells?
The key question is whether your house and garden are still predominantly a home, or whether they are becoming business premises.
To be certain about your position regarding planning permission for working from home, the Planning Portal suggests applying for a Lawful Development Certificate.
Avoid Breaching Planning Rules
It's essential to thoroughly investigate whether you need planning permission to work from your garden room. It may be worth seeking pre-planning advice from your Local Authority to clarify your situation, as, in the worst-case scenario, they could prevent you from using the space for work.
Over the years, we’ve heard of cases where personal trainers, hairdressers, or beauty therapists using their garden rooms for business have breached planning rules. In these instances, the owners hadn’t applied for planning permission to run a business, and the frequent client visits, parking congestion, and noise caused disruption in the neighbourhood.
Following complaints from neighbours, the Local Authority investigated the situation. The owners submitted retrospective planning applications. In some cases, approval was then granted. In other cases, it wasn't, and they had to stop using the garden room for their work.
This overview of a ruling on a garden gym building being used by a personal trainer is an example.
