Your Home – Extend the Potential

Can you see the potential of your home, do you need a little more space?  Perhaps you are looking for a new home but what it currently on the market doesn’t quite fit the space you need?  The addition of an extension to either a property you own or one you could make improvements to, could unlock the perfect solution.

Take a step back, look at that house and consider how an extension could make it the perfect home.  Creating an extension might scare some people and raise several questions; will I need planning permission, do I get a builder in, how much will it cost, what if you don’t get planning permission for the extension?  There are lots of things you can do without planning permission, under what is known as Permitted Development under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (“the Order”) as amended.

What is Permitted Development?

Provided that these rights haven’t been removed by the local planning authority (either when originally consented or through an Article 4 direction), they give homeowners the right to make various extensions to the home without the need to formally apply for planning permission.  These rights are also applicable to homes in the green belt.

What can be done?

An extension or addition to your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:

• No more than half the area of land around the “original house”* would be covered by additions or other buildings.
• No extension forward of the principal elevation or side elevation fronting a highway.
• No extension to be higher than the highest part of the roof.
• Single-storey rear extension must not extend beyond the rear wall of the original house* by more than three metres if an attached house or by four metres if a detached house.
• In addition, outside Article 2(3) designated land* and Sites of Special Scientific Interest the limit is increased to 6m if an attached house and 8m if a detached house until 30 May 2019.
• These increased limits (between 3m and 6m and between 4m and 8m respectively) are subject to the prior notification of the proposal to the Local Planning Authority and the implementation of a neighbour consultation scheme. If objections are received, the proposal might not be allowed.
• Maximum height of a single-storey rear extension of four metres.
• Extensions of more than one storey must not extend beyond the rear wall of the original house* by more than three metres.
• Maximum eaves height of an extension within two metres of the boundary of three metres.
• Maximum eaves and ridge height of extension no higher than existing house.
• Side extensions to be single storey with maximum height of four metres and width no more than half that of the original house.
• Two-storey extensions no closer than seven metres to rear boundary.
• Roof pitch of extensions higher than one storey to match existing house.
• Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.
• No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
• Upper-floor, side-facing windows to be obscure-glazed; any opening to be 1.7m above the floor.
• On designated land* no permitted development for rear extensions of more than one storey.
• On designated land no cladding of the exterior.
• On designated land no side extensions.

* The term “original house” means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.

* Designated land includes conservation areas, national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and World Heritage Sites.

If you can keep in mind that you can make alterations to houses when viewing, who knows, that nearly perfect home could be the perfect home.