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garden office planning permission

Planning permission and garden offices

Published:

A guest blog from the team at The Home Office Company about finding a garden office that will appeal to the planning department…

Whilst it’s true that most garden buildings don’t require planning permission, listed properties and properties in areas of outstanding natural beauty almost certainly will. So how do you convince the planners that your building will be in keeping with your property and the surroundings?

Planners are essentially human beings. No, really. Any of us who has had dealings with them will know that they live by constraints imposed over decades if not centuries of often out of date rules and regulations and whilst they personally may love an idea, they have to ensure that their decision is in keeping with these dictates.

Put yourself in their shoes. You walk into a beautiful 16th Century property and are faced with the new owners thinking of a home office in the garden. No problem. Then, they show you something that resembles a shiny wooden dice with windows and ask you, with an expectant look on their face, if this will be ok. It is immediately clear to you that allowing this structure to be erected in their garden would be like putting a helter-skelter inside the front gates at Buckingham Palace and you have to inform them of this in the nicest way possible. Good luck.

Consider the same scenario then, but this time the owners have selected a traditional style garden building; pitched roof, a sensible ratio of glass to wall and which, in a traditional green colour, will melt into the garden as if it had been there since the house were built. All of a sudden the decision becomes far more straightforward and the owners will be left with smiles rather than frowns – or worse, tears- on their faces.

The Home Office Company was established in 1998 and decided on a traditional style building. Not only has this meant zero problems with the planners but the buildings look just as good in the gardens of modern homes as they do in those of period properties.

Externally, 10 different colours are now available (although traditional green is still most popular), which allows homeowners with more flamboyant tastes to add colour to their garden in a way that still allows their building to blend into the planting and environment.

So the easiest way of negating any potential planning issues is to contact The Home Office Company. Simple.

Garden Office Planning Permission

Published:

A question we are frequently asked is “Do I need planning permission if I am going to use a garden office for business use?” We asked the experts at Get-Planning.com for their advice, and this is what they recommend:

GARDEN ROOMS FOR BUSINESS USE

There are two aspects to garden rooms and the need for planning permission – the building itself and the business use proposed within it.

The Building

Government rules on ‘Permitted Development’ are highly relevant and since October 2008, are more generous than previously:

  • Outbuildings and other additions must not be more than 50% of the garden
  • Outbuildings must be single storey with a maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of 4 metres with a dual pitched roof, or 3 metres in any other case (If an outbuilding is within 2 metres of a boundary, it cannot be higher than 2.5 metres);

The Planning Portal interactive guide is useful to ascertain if a garden room falls within Permitted Development rules.  If not, then planning permission will be required.

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/miniguides/outbuildings/outbuildings.html

The above is only a summary of what can be achieved outside designated land, (ie. Conservation Areas, etc.) and professional advice should be sought to be sure planning permission is not required.

The Use

Whether a use requires planning permission is, in legal terms a matter of ‘fact and degree’ and Planning Permission may be required, dependent upon the intensity of the use. This is especially the case if the use goes beyond what is considered as ‘ancillary to the main dwelling house’ (even if the garden room itself falls within the definition of permitted development as set out above).

Issues to consider include the type of work (eg. whether it is solely desk/computer based or involves goods being brought to site) and the numbers of staff and visitors and any traffic, noise etc. that may result, (eg. an occasional visitor turning up for professional advice will have little impact – no more than say the visit of a family friend – compared to 20 customers per day arriving to collect goods).  The impact of these activities may be considered greater if the property were situated in a sensitive location, such as a Conservation Area.

If the use is prominent and noticeable or were to intensify over time as the business grew then the threat of Planning Enforcement Action by the Local Council may arise when they become aware of the use. In some cases it may be advisable for a Certificate of Proposed Use or Development (CLOPUD) to be submitted to the Council to ascertain their view on whether the proposed use is ‘Permitted Development’ or not. Interpretations can differ from one place to another, so always seek professional advice.

Brian Gatenby RIBA

Architect and Planning Consultant

For more professional advice visit the Get-Planning website

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