Planning Permission

Depending on the type of work you are intending to do, you may or may not need planning permission. It's worth getting it right, because in a worse-case scenario, your local council might demand that you demolish the work you have done and get you to put things back as they were.

The following are common examples of when you will need to apply for planning permission:

• You want to make additions or extensions to a flat or maisonette (including those converted from houses). (But you do not need planning permission to carry out internal alterations or work which does not affect the external appearance of the building.)
• You want to divide off part of your house for use as a separate home (for example, a self-contained flat or bed-sit) or use a caravan in your garden as a home for someone else. (But you do not need planning permission to let one or two of your rooms to lodgers.)
• You want to divide off part of your home for business or commercial use (for example, a workshop) or you want to build a parking place for a commercial vehicle at your home.
• You want to build something which goes against the terms of the original planning permission for your house - for example, your house may have been built with a restriction to stop people putting up fences in front gardens because it is on an "open plan" estate. Your council has a record of all planning permissions in its area.
• The work you want to do might obstruct the view of road users.
• The work would involve a new or wider access to a trunk or classified road.

For more information, see the government website:
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/planning/applications