PLANNING PERMISSION AND BUILDING REGULATIONS*

Planning Permission

Under present legislation a conservatory attached to your house is classed as a home extension under the Town and Country Planning Act and you will not need to apply for planning permission if your new Fit Your Own Conservatory;

1. Does not increase the overall volume of the original house by whichever is the greater of the following:- (a) 70 cubic metres or (b) 15% of the volume of the original house (up to a maximum of 115 cubic metres.)

This rule applies to both detached and semidetached houses. If your house is a terrace or end of terrace house the permitted size allowance is whichever is greater of the following:- (a) 50 cubic metres or (b) 10% of the volume of the original house up to a maximum of 115 cubic metres.

The wording ‘original house’ simply means the house as first built or as it stood on 1st July 1948 if the house was built before then. If extensions have already been built then those extensions count against the allowance.

Slightly different calculations apply in Scotland.

2. Does not project further forward than the existing front wall of the house facing onto a highway.

3. Has no part of the conservatory is higher than the highest point of the existing house roof.

4. Has no part of the conservatory which comes within 2 metres of your property boundary that is more than 4 metres above ground.

5. Does not not result in more than half of the original garden area of the property being covered.

6. Is not to be used for occupation as a separate and independent dwelling.

These rules are very simple and in the vast majority of cases no planning permission would be required for a Fit Your Own Conservatory unless your home has already been extended and at least part of the permitted size allowance used up.
 

Building Regulations

Under current Building Regulations, conservatories (defined as ground floor extensions with transparent or translucent roofs) are exempt from any controls under these regulations provided that the floor area does not exceed 30m2. Fit Your Own Conservatories up to this size (30m2) can therefore normally be built without any Building Regulations approval in England and Wales.

Fit Your Own Conservatories have are designed with safety, strength and stability and it is strongly recommended that you follow all installation instructions carefully.




 

*The above is based upon common understanding of the law relating to the above in the U.K. at the time of publication (16/07/2008). If you have any casue for doubt or your installation does not fall within the class of installations not requiring planning permission or building regulations you should check with your local Planning Authority and local Building Control Department to ensure that you can build without needing any special permission. Be aware that regualtions are different if you live in a conservation or other protected area.