It’s probably the question that we get asked more than any other:
Do Your Need Planning Permission for a Garden Room?
If you’re looking to a simple answer to this question, then you probably have never dealt with your local planning authority (LPA) before! But there is plenty of good news for you at this stage: First off, it’s unlikely that you will need garden room planning permission, but in order to know for sure there are quite a few things you need to check about the specifics of your proposed garden room.
So now it’s time for the second piece of good news – we’re going to cover all of those factors in this blog. So all you need to do is read this, and you will know for sure whether you will require planning permission for a garden office, garden gym or even a garden cinema room on your property. Let’s get straight into it:
What are the main conditions for pre-approved planning permission?
As we said above, most garden rooms will not require planning permission, as long as they three main permitted development guidelines. These are:
- Your garden room height is less than 2.5 metres, measuring from the bottom of the building to the top of the roof.
- That you are not taking up more than 50% of your garden with your new garden room or any other buildings.
- The garden room is not going to be used as self contained living accommodation,
If your new garden room complies with these three conditions, then it is highly unlikely that you will need planning permission – however, there are quite a few other little factors that may change that, so it’s always best to run through those before you start any work.
Planning permission – the other details
The first thing that you need to make sure of is that you have permitted development rights for your property. If you own your property, it is highly likely that you have permitted development rights – the main exceptions are if you home is a listed building, or if it is on designated land (includes National Parks, the Broads, Conservations Areas, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites).
If you are at all unsure about whether you have permitted development rights, you can check with your LPA or local council. If you have permitted development rights, you won’t need garden room planning permission, just as long as you comply with the other factors.
Then there are the other, even more niche, details that you need to consider, for your garden room to fall under ‘permitted development allowances’:
- The new room isn’t in front of your house (as it stood in 1948 if you have already extended out in the front)
- There is no balcony, raised platforms or veranda
- It is smaller than half the area of your ‘original house’
- Your property is a house, not a flat, maisonette or any other buildings
- It is a single storey development
Bear in mind that if your new garden room falls short of any of these garden room permitted development rules, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have a garden room, it just means that you will require planning permission.
Do you need building regulations approval for a Garden Room?
Next we should consider building regulations. This is more about the technical side of the development, rather than the appearance – if you are to sell your house at some point, you may need to supply certificates to prove that any major work done to your house was done properly.
With a garden room, you only need to have building regulations approval if:
- The floor area is more than 15 metres squared
- The garden room is attached to your main home
- It includes sleeping accommodation
Even if your garden room is over 15 metres squared, you may still be able to build without building regulations provided that it is under 30 metres squared and is more than one metre away from your main home.
If you have any electrics installed in your garden room, you will need to have this certified under the ‘P’ section of building regulations, so make sure you use a company that can comply with this – like Apex Garden Rooms.
How to apply for planning permission
If you decide you need planning permission, you need to do this through your local planning authority. Each one in the UK will have a slightly process, so the best thing to do is go to the government website here and enter your postcode – that will direct you to your local authority and you can work from there.
Planning permission and Garden Rooms – Conclusion
It can seem quite daunting when you are thinking of making any kind of improvements to your home. Just the thought of ‘planning permission’ and ‘building regulations’ is enough to put some people off! Trying to work out if your development will meet the garden room permitted development regulations can be a complicated process!
However, it doesn’t have to be that complicated – we hope you have been able to help you work out whether you are likely to require garden room planning permission. If you have any questions about your property, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, our dedicated and experienced team would love to help you out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I need garden office planning permission?
If you are intending to use your garden room as an office, it is very unlikely that you will need planning permission as one of the main factors which determine whether you need planning permission is whether or not it will be used for sleeping accommodation. A garden office, as long as it is under the maximum height of 2.5 metres, is unlikely to need planning permission.
What is the different between planning permission and building regulations?
Planning permission is concerned with the general appearance of a development, and the impact that it will have on the local area. It’s there to ensure people don’t build large new buildings that disrupt the view, light, wildlife etc in the area.
On the other hand building regs are more concerned with how the building is constructed – is it safe, will it last – that kind of thing.
There are different rules for planning permission and building regs.
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