What are permitted development rights? How can I use them on my home?

AN OVERVIEW.

The government have provided most home owners with a set of rights to extend or alter their homes or place detached buildings within the garden without the need for formal Planning Permission.

Some people have referred to it as 'the planning permission your already have' but may not yet know it.

Yes, that's right - planning consent for extensions or development that you already have in place WITHOUT the need for formal planning permission.

That sort of statement makes for a great strap line but hides a lot of the complexities involved in identifying what you can actually achieve on your particular property without formal Planning permission.

Treat it like a kind of 'Government code' that you have to unravel by reading the legislation, trying to understand what it means & how it can be applied to your particular property.  For the novice home owner, it can be a daunting and confusing task but after some time spent researching this web site you should be able to follow through with most principals of permitted development and for the more experienced out there be able to understand the anomalies that have been generated with tactics  and strategies on how best to deal with them.

FACTS AND FIGURES.

15.5 million homes in England and Wales already have permitted development rights attached to their property.

95% of all homes in the England and Wales have some form of permitted development rights allocation.

All that equates to millions of homes already having un-implemented planning permission for extensions, garden buildings and alterations without further interference from the local Council Planning Department or their neighbours.

That's kind of empowering don't you think!

That's like being given a pre-formed Christmas wrapper empty of any present and all you have to do is fill it with a structure that fits inside the wrapper.

BEYOND THE HYPE.

Now that the appetite has been wetted we now need to sit down and adopt a pragmatic approach to counterbalance the hype and spin back into the reality of the real world.

Many will say that permitted development projects will save you time and costs? Well yes if you are prepared to go 'straight into the ground' without first researching and obtaining a formal opinion from your local council.  Do you really ant to spend thousands of pounds on a self diagnosed building project devoid of any back-up paperwork?

Do you really ant to own an extended property that you are unable to sell later on because of the lack of relevant paper trail?

No, of course you don't - only the most maverick or cavalier amongst us would engage on such as risky path.

Therefore, in reality and in most cases you will still need to employ a Building Design Agent to prepare plans and apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development through the Planning Dept. which is a piece of paper that formally and legally confirms that your project is totally outside the control of the Planning Dept.

SO WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT?

Remembering that permitted development (PD) is not a subjective issue unlike planning permission that has a wide ranging agenda that includes neighbours, design and impact all of which can be manipulated by third parties.

PD is entirely objective - it is either legal or its not.  You can either have it or you cant.

So, provided your project fits inside the 'Christmas wrapper' analogy I was referring to earlier, then the 3 main controlling factors referred to above relevant to planning issues are completely removed.

That means you can understand, appreciate and develop exactly what you want right from the start provided your scheme fits the 'PD wrapper'.  That is why doing your research & understanding the shape, size & location of your 'PD wrapper' right from the start is so vitally important.

Go explore this web site, enjoy & ask me any question or issues that you may have if you do not mind parting with a small fee.