In the UK, planning permission is something you must get if you plan on building on land or changing the use of a building. Even if you own a plot of land, there is no guarantee that you’ll be allowed to build on it. If a neighbour feels like your building causes them inconvenience or is detrimental to their quality of life (obstructing a view for example), they can object to the construction of a building or extension. A building permit is also required when you’re making structural changes to a building. You shouldn’t need either permission or a permit for minor jobs such as building a fence but it’s always a good idea to check with your local council first.
When it comes to planning permission, your local planning authority (LPA) is responsible for deciding if it’s ok for a proposed building to go ahead. If you are building a shed, conservatory or sunroom, you will need planning permission. There are existing regulations that don’t allow a new building to cover more than 50% of the original property. You also have to ensure that the structure stays a certain distance away from the road and that it doesn’t interfere with your neighbours.
Building small walls and other minor structures generally fall under the ‘permitted development’ banner which means that planning permission is not required. It should also be noted that there are special protection areas. In the unlikely event that your structure is to be built on one of these locations, permission will be denied in a bid to protect attractive landscape, certain flora and fauna, green belts and historical monuments.
As a building permit is required for virtually all large structural developments, it’s wise to get approval before a brick is laid. There are Building Control Bodies (BCBs) (who usually work for the Local Authority) that are in charge of checking the regulations. If you are employing a builder, you need to confirm from the beginning whether or not they are taking responsibility for complying with building regulations.
If you’re using the Local Authority building control service, you have a trio of application types you can make in what is known as ‘pre-site’ approval. You can give a building notice, enter the process of regularisation or by submitting a full plans application which can be found online. The Building Control Service are also going to inspect the work as it is carried out with various inspections designed to ensure your project is within building regulations. If they believe you are not adhering to these regulations, they can stop work with an enforcement notice. You can appeal against this but it will slow down the building process.
For those looking to build a new home or add to their existing one, building permits and planning permission is a pain. However, these are necessary evils. If these regulations didn’t exist, there would be nothing to stop people building all sorts of monstrosities and damaging the land and wildlife as well as ruining ancient monuments.
