Permitted Development Rules Can Be Very Generous, Even In Protected Landscapes
Published: 13 September 2024
Reading Time: 1 minute 41 seconds
Guest Post by: R L Planning
For those of you fortunate to live in a National Park, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or The Broads and also work from home, then the view from your desk could be nothing short of spectacular.
The good news is that obtaining Planning Permission for a detached garden room is often unnecessary in these beautiful locations. This revelation often comes as a surprise to many homeowners and R L Planning has the extensive knowledge to assist you with this particular matter.
This article is part of a series that explores the rules you need to consider when building a garden room.
The Government’s Permitted Development legislation is complicated but, in summary, there are just two additional rules that need to be adhered to if you reside in one of these protected landscapes. Both primarily relate to the position of the outbuilding in relation to your house:-
- The first one is relatively straightforward - your outbuilding cannot be built between a wall forming a side elevation of your house and the boundary of your curtilage, without Planning Permission.
- For the second rule, various measurements need to be checked in order to comply. This is because only 10 sqm of ground located more than 20m from any wall of your house can be covered. This includes proposed decking and overhanging canopies as well as existing buildings, enclosures, structures, pools and containers.
Thankfully these extra rules are not overly restrictive, so as long as your Permitted Development rights remain intact - and you can meet all the normal criteria too - then you could create your ideal garden room without Planning issues or stress.
Just as a note, these rules apply to Word Heritage Sites as well but only the first one is relevant in Conservation Areas.
Obtaining the legal paperwork to confirm that your proposed garden room doesn’t require Planning Permission is always highly recommended as it:-
- provides total peace of mind
- avoids neighbour objections, and
- serves as an important document when you ultimately decide to sell your property, by helping to achieve the full asking price and avoiding delays
If you would like R L Planning to conduct a detailed Permitted Development check for you, and subsequently file a Lawful Development Certificate Application to the relevant Local Planning Authority, they offer this valuable service alongside their standard Planning submissions. Their comprehensive checks include Article 4 Directions, previously-imposed Conditions and defined curtilages.
Having expert Planning support right at the start of your garden room project has many benefits and, with 12 years of Case Officer experience behind them, R L Planning are happy to help.
