Planning to expand?
The Planning Minefield – Extending your property and dealing with your local council
You may have recently completed your move successfully – or perhaps you have decided to stay put due to the current economic situation?
In both cases you may be wondering about the potential for extending or remodelling your (new) property.
Have you thought about extending upwards, backwards or sideways?
If you’re not sure how to get started, a good place to start would be to check if your desired extension would be ‘lawful’ i.e not require planning permission – or whether you would have to apply for permission with your local Borough Council.
You can consult the guidance on the Planning Portal on ‘permitted development’ – i.e those types of extensions which do not need planning permission.
Still not sure? You can contact the ‘duty desk’ of your local borough council planning department. However beware that this can be tricky: Whilst the duty officer will be happy to give guidance and advice over the phone he or she is in not accountable for the advice given. You may find further down the line that your planning officer in charge will take an entirely different view on your proposals. Therefore it’s a good idea to get it in writing: Before going through the expense of a Planning Application minimise your risk and submit a written pre-planning enquiry, which is free of charge. Your planning department will issue a written response to you, advising you of potential issues with your proposal and giving you an indication of success of your planning application.
The next step is to submit your planning application. For a householder this needn’t be complicated and in most cases a simple set of drawings will suffice. Your builder or project management company may offer this service but you need to be aware that they will not go out of their way to offer you solutions which may be difficult to get through Planning. It is in their interest to process your project in the way that is most convenient and cost-effective for them.
If in doubt you might want to consult an architect. Check with the RIBA for a list of architects in your area and choose a practice which has experience with your type of project.
Posted with thanks to: Andrea Jung , Partner at TURN Architects llp
Added information for Scottish Readers
Please note that ‘permitted development’ in Scotland is very limited and as such, most extensions will require a planning application. However, the Scottish government is currently reviewing their policies, so watch this space!
for advice on choosing an architect in Scotland check with the list of architects in your area in the RIAS directory of practices
with thanks to Scott McAllister of LSM Architecture
