Planning permission can often be a daunting area, at A New Room all our registered installers are extremely knowledgeable about the Planning and Building Regulations process and will take care of the research and application (if required) allowing you to concentrate on the design and specification of your extension project.
Before you embark on any form of extension to your property, speak to your neighbours, it is important to ensure that disagreements do not occur between you and your neighbours with regards to such issues as loss of light, also ensure that your neighbours are agreeable to any access that may be required via their property during the building works.
Planning Permission and Building Regulations are often confused, they are completely separate requirements, with both falling under the remit of your Local Authority. Here are the basics, Planning Permission takes into consideration the aesthetic effect of a new building/extension on the surrounding homes and neighbourhood, whilst Building Regulations define how the structure must be constructed in terms of thermal efficiency, structural integrity etc.
Other regulations deal with ventilation, all new double-glazed windows must have the integrated vents – this is not the case for replacement windows.
Not all property extensions or alterations require planning permission, under new regulations that came into effect from 1 October 2008 adding an extension to your home is considered to be permitted development, not needing an application for planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:
You may also need to check if your house is a ‘new build’ as developers sometimes place restrictions on them.
Visit the Planning Portal - The Planning Portal is the UK Government’s online planning and building regulations resource for England and Wales.
Building regulations will generally apply if you want to build an extension to your home. However, Conservatories are normally exempt when they meet a number of conditions:
You are advised not to construct conservatories where they will restrict ladder access to windows serving rooms in roof or loft conversions, particularly if any of the windows are intended to help escape or rescue if there is a fire. Any new structural opening between the conservatory and the existing house will require building regulations approval, even if the conservatory itself is an exempt structure.
Please note that requirements in Scotland, and to a lesser extent, Northern Ireland are different to those in England and Wales.
For more information click here to visit the Planning Portal - The Planning Portal is the UK Government’s online planning and building regulations resource for England and Wales.
Generally conservatory refurbishment projects are exempt from building regulations and must have a ‘significant’ proportion of the roof and walls glazed to be considered exempt. The replacement roof would usually consist of a translucent material. The existing footprint must not extended, but any alterations would be exempt under permitted development provided the guidelines above are adhered to, the local authority will always advise in projects of this nature, speak to your local registered A New room installer for further guidance.
Contact us today to speak to a member of our team who can provide you with details of your local Registered Installer or we can post you a copy of our new brochure.