Conservatory Planning Permission Guidelines
Dream can help if you need planning permission. We can arrange telephone support if you want to do your own or we can do everything for you. This service is arranged through Tony Bridge of Future Projects. Tony has a Diploma in Architecture and has had his own practice since 1990. Telephone support will cost £49.50 and full plans £275 unless there is anything unusual in which case a quotation will be supplied first. The prices stated do not include planning department costs.
Adding a conservatory to your home is now considered to be permitted development, not needing an application for planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:
More than half the area of land around the "original house" would be covered by additions or other buildings.
No extension forward of the principal elevation or side elevation fronting a highway.
No extension to be higher than the highest part of the roof.
Maximum depth of a single-storey rear extension of three metres for an attached house and four metres for a detached house.
Maximum height of a single-storey rear extension of four metres.
Maximum depth of a rear extension of more than one storey of three metres including ground floor.
Maximum eaves height of an extension within two metres of the boundary of three metres.
Maximum eaves and ridge height of extension no higher than existing house.
Side extensions to be single storey with maximum height of four metres and width no more than half that of the original house.
Roof pitch of extensions higher than one storey to match existing house.
No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
On designated land no permitted development for rear extensions of more than one storey; no cladding of the exterior; no side extensions.
Where work is proposed to a listed building, listed building consent may be required.
* The term "original house" means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.
* Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.
Building Regulations
Conservatories are normally exempt from building regulations when:
1. They are built at ground level and are less than 30 square metres in floor area
2. At least half of the new wall and three quarters of the roof is either glazed or translucent material
3. The conservatory is separated from the house by external quality door(s).
4. Glazing and any fixed electrical installations comply with the applicable building regulations requirements (see below).
You are advised not to construct conservatories where they will restrict ladder access to windows serving rooms in roof or loft conversions, particularly if any of the windows are intended to help escape or rescue if there is a fire.
Any new structural opening between the conservatory and the existing house will require building regulations approval, even if the conservatory itself is an exempt structure.
Disclaimer:
These notes are for your guidance and information only. For the avoidance of doubt please contact your local planning and building regulations authority before undertaking any work.
Whilst the information given on this page is done so in good faith, it is neither exclusive nor exhaustive; we would therefore advise that you check with your local planning office if you are uncertain about any aspect of the rules governing these matters.
[August 2004]
Instabuild Limited, who supply a unique steel base and modular wall system to the conservatory industry, received an unexpected boost this week in the form of written approval from Thames Water to use their system to build conservatories inside the 3 Metre exclusion zone without the need to enter into a ‘building over agreement’ with the authority.
In recent years regulations have been put in place by water authorities to protect drains and sewers that lay within 3 meters of the proposed conservatory from potential damage caused by building work. In order to ensure these regulations are adhered to, companies must by law gain approval from the water authority before work can commence. The CCTV inspection process that is then undertaken can cost either the company or their client many hundreds of pounds. Failure to comply with this could result in, problems for the householder when trying to sell the property, possible enforced removal of the conservatory, and prosecution of the company involved.
Until now many water authorities have been slow to recognise officially that the Instabuild system can be used in situations where there is cause for concern regarding drains and sewers, and have insisted that a normal application be made before the work can commence.
However this week Thames Water have written to an Instabuild registered installer with the following comment, “ I confirm that as you will be adding no extra loading onto the sewer through the use of pad foundations nor restricting our access to the sewer in any way, a building over agreement will not be required”.
The Managing Director of Instabuild said ‘this is great news for our company. Most water authorities recognise that the Instabuild system is the Ideal product when underground pipes are in the vicinity of the build, but they usually still ask for official applications to be lodged. This is the first time we have been given the go ahead without the need for a ‘Building over agreement’. I’m sure other authorities will now follow suit and hopefully encourage companies to protect drains by using Instabuild.
© 2004 - 2010 Dream DIY Conservatories Online - Beautiful DIY Conservatories At Trade Prices. DIY Conservatories Self Build Conservatories