Planning Permission - Making Home Improvements Easier
New Government proposals (announced May 2007) should make it easier to carry out small changes to your home in future, without applying for planning permission. How will these proposals affect things like extensions, loft conversions and wind turbines?
Fewer home alterations will require planning permission
Planning permission applications for home alterations have roughly doubled in the last 10 years, and the Government fears these applications are ‘clogging up the system'.
Some changes can be made without applying for planning permission - these are ‘permitted developments'. As part of a Government White Paper on planning released in May 2007, there are proposals to change how alterations are defined as permitted developments.
What counts as permitted development?
Currently, when deciding what a permitted development is, the height and volume of any extension, the total amount of land covered, and the distance from the nearest road are taken into consideration.
Often, under the current rules, local councils receive a lot of complaints about some permitted developments, while extensions which would not affect anyone have to go through the lengthy planning permission process.
Under the new proposals, the impact of any alterations on others will be the major factor in defining ‘permitted development'. Therefore extensions which cut out light from neighbours, or affect the overall appearance of the street, will not be permitted developments, and planning permission will be required.
Apparently, this change to the rules will greatly reduce the number of planning applications. Alterations that clearly have no impact outside your house will not require planning permission. There is also talk of a voluntary system where, if you can agree any changes with your neighbours, planning permission can be bypassed.
What about loft conversions?
Loft conversions are hugely popular these days, mainly for growing families who cannot afford to move to a bigger house due to rising house prices, and do not have enough room for an extension.
Currently, most loft conversions do not require planning permission. However, the new proposals could actually make it harder to carry out a loft conversion. Loft conversions may not greatly increase the size of a property, but they are considered to have a high impact on neighbours and the appearance of a street in tightly-packed urban areas.
Large dormer windows are often used to increase the usable space in a loft conversion, and these are commonly complained about by neighbours. Therefore, large dormer windows will probably require planning permission under the new proposals.
What about installing solar panels and wind turbines?
The Government wants to encourage use of renewable energy by relaxing planning laws on microgeneration units. Installing wind turbines and solar panels should be made easier.
At the moment, you don't generally need planning permission to install solar panels, but you do need it for a wind turbine. The new proposals should make the rules surrounding microgeneration much clearer, and will probably incorporate greater scope for microgeneration into the permitted development rules.
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