Garden rooms, home offices and outbuildings are popular, and many don't need planning permission. But there are limits, and some homes have fewer rights than others.
Often permitted development
A garden room can usually be built without planning permission, under permitted development, if it is:
- single storey
- used for purposes incidental to the house, such as an office, gym, studio or hobby room, not as separate living accommodation
- not forward of the front of the house
- within height limits: these depend on the roof shape and how close the building is to the boundary, with lower limits within 2 metres of a boundary
- not covering more than half of the garden around the original house, together with other extensions and outbuildings
When you'll need permission
You'll usually need planning permission if:
- the garden room includes a bedroom or is used as a separate dwelling or annexe to live in
- it's taller than the permitted limits
- the property is a flat or maisonette
- the property is listed. Outbuildings within the curtilage of a listed building usually need planning permission, and sometimes listed building consent too
- the property is in a conservation area, National Landscape or similar, and the building would be to the side of the house, or the rights are restricted in other ways
- an earlier planning permission or an Article 4 direction has removed permitted development rights
Building regulations
Small outbuildings often don't need building regulations approval, but larger ones, those with sleeping accommodation, and those close to boundaries may. It's worth checking before you order a garden building.
Getting certainty
If you're confident it's permitted development but want proof, for peace of mind or for a future sale, a lawful development certificate gives you formal confirmation from the council.
Not sure where you stand? Get in touch and we'll check your property's history and designations.
Every site is different. This guide is general information, not advice on your project. For a straight answer about your property, book a free home visit: Ben will come and look, with no obligation.
Who'll handle your project: Benjamin Plunkett, our Managing Director and Planning & Heritage Consultant, is your point of contact from the first site visit to the decision. Charlie Plunkett MCIAT produces the drawings.
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