All in the planning
Thinking of improving your home this spring? Follow these tips to make getting planning permission easier
Sweeping changes brought in by David Cameron’s government promised to make it easier to improve and extend our homes. However, recent research under the Freedom of Information Act* has found that since the reforms were introduced in 2012, not a single local council has processed every planning application on time.
The new rules, coupled with local government staff cuts, mean that delays to minor applications such as extensions, loft conversions and relatively uncomplicated alterations such as replacing windows or changing the colour of a front door in a conservation area, are up by 16 per cent.
So, if you’re hoping to improve your home this spring, what’s the best way of ensuring your application is dealt with quickly and efficiently?
DO YOU NEED PERMISSION?
Some projects don’t need permission – either under ‘permitted development’, which, for example, allows a single-storey extension up to 4m long on a detached house, or by using the ‘prior notification’ mechanism, a form of permitted development for larger extensions and improvements requiring the agreement of neighbours. In the latter case, the local planning authority (LPA) will say whether the build can go ahead. These extended permitted development rights remain until 31 May, 2019.
’Single-storey side extensions – up to half the width of the existing house – single-storey rear extensions, outbuildings and rear dormer windows are the most common types of permitted development projects,’ says Sally
Tagg of Foxley Tagg Planning and spokesperson for The National Homebuilding
& Renovating Show.
’Two-storey rear extensions always require planning permission,’ says Sally. ‘As will any alterations to the front elevation of a property and any development that would extend forward the principle elevation.’ You can find a full list of what’s achievable under permitted development and what requires planning permission online by visiting planningportal.co.uk.
Special rules may apply in conservation areas and for listed buildings.
EXPERT TIPS AND TRICKS
‘If your project needs permission, make sure everything is in order so the process isn’t delayed by missing documents,’ advises Sally. ‘Study your LPA’s Validation Checklist so you know what’s needed to validate your application and start the eight-week determination process,’ she says. This will usually be done online. Label uploads logically so the planners can easily open the ones they need.
Find the list of planning permissions recently granted via your local council website. If your application is similar to nearby schemes already approved, you have more chance of a pass.
In terms of size, there are two approaches. Either start big and decrease if objections are raised, or go with a project you’re sure the planner will approve and work upwards. ‘Planning professionals tend to favour the second approach,’ says independent planning expert Mike Dade. ‘Get permission for that size, then try to build on it. A “marginal” increase in size can be difficult for planners to resist. They’ve got to articulate precisely why, for example, an additional metre in depth is so harmful that permission should now be refused.’
Don’t forget the measurements, materials and relevant construction details. ‘Be specific,’ says Alison Broderick of Platinum Property Partners. ‘Applying for “a large extension” is not as good as saying you’re going to do a four-metre good-quality design extension.’
Use the correct terminology. ‘If your application is an easy read, it’s less likely to throw up questions and will be a speedier process,’ adds Alison.