How do I know if I need Planning Permission, and if I do, how likely is it to be approved?

It is not necessary to seek planning permission or building regulations approval for all improvements you plan to make to your home.

Permitted development

The types of work or extensions you are allowed to undertake on your home which don’t require planning permission are defined by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 as. Some work may only require ‘prior notification’ rather than full planning permission.

There may be statutory or non-statutory designations that affect your property which may influence whether you need to seek planning permission, for example:

• Your property is subject to an Article 4 direction restricting permitted development rights in a certain area or site

• Your property is in a National Park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) or a conservation area

• Your property is registered as being of ‘special architectural or historic interest’.

The government has published a Technical Guidance document to help understand if a proposal falls within the criteria for PD. Although not complicated, it can be confusing to decide if an extension meets the criteria, as can be seen on the extract below showing two acceptable and two unacceptable side/rear extensions on a semi-detached house.

Pre-application advice

It is recommended that you discuss your ideas with your neighbours to discover any concerns, as they will be informed of your planning application.

If your architect is uncertain whether a proposal agrees with the council’s planning policies laid out in its development plan, he may advise making a “Pre-app” which will cost an additional fee.

This will require some cursory details of the extension or proposal you intend such as its design, size and position. However, these do not need to be the extensive level necessary for sending with your planning applications.

The planning officer’s advice may cover issues such as the design of your proposal or the scale of the development and may also suggest how your proposal can be changed so that it is more likely to be approved. However, be aware that this does not guarantee that you will receive planning permission.