Planning permission – do you need it?
Adding a conservatory to your house is considered to be permitted development, not needing an application for planning permission, subject to the limits and conditions listed below:
- If you live in a terraced house, or in a National Park, AONB or conservation area, you are allowed to develop up to an extra 50 cubic metres, or 10% of the cubic content of your original dwelling, whichever is greater. This is cumulative, so any earlier work needs to be taken into consideration
- For all other properties it must be less than 70 cubic metres or 15% of the cubic content of your original dwelling, whichever is greater
- Extensions cannot exceed 115 cubic metres under permitted development rights
- No part of the extension should exceed the highest part of the roof of the original dwelling
- No more than half the area of land around the “original house” would be covered by additions or other buildings
- No extension should be closer to a highway than 20 metres, or closer than the original dwelling, whichever is nearer
- The extensions should not exceed four metres in height within two metres of the boundary of the dwelling
- You should not alter any part of the roof
- extensions are not a permitted development within the curtilage of a listed building.
Additionally, if you live within a National Park, AONB or conservation area:
- Development of an outbuilding greater than 10 cubic metres, within five metres of a dwelling, is treated as an extension
- You should not use cladding.
If you have any doubts about planning permission, make the necessary checks with your local planning officer – it’s better to be safe than sorry! Don’t rely on your conservatory supplier to sort it out – you’re the one who will be in trouble if planning rules are flouted.
Visit your local authority website (http://local.direct.gov.uk/) for more information or visit the Governments website (www.direct.gov.uk) for interactive tools and more.
Scotland’s planning legislation also allows for certain works to be exempt from planning permission.
In homes other than flats and maisonettes no building warrant is required for an unheated conservatory under eight square metres attached to an existing house. The conservatory must be located a minimum of one metre from any boundary and not must not contain sanitary accommodation nor be situated on land within the boundaries of which there are harmful or dangerous substances. A door must be provided between the conservatory and the house.
However, due to the more complex nature of Scotland’s planning legislation it is highly advisable to liaise with the Development Promotion Section of the local council – and essential to do so when contemplating adding conservatories to listed buildings, houses in conservation areas, flats or maisonettes. See the Scottish Governments Building Standards website (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/) for further details.