Planning Permission: A guide for renovation projects

If you are going to undertake a renovation project, then you will need to consider whether you need planning permission before you start. Read on for a guide to planning permission for your renovation project.

Planning Permission vs Permitted Development

From a renovation point of view, you will need planning permission if you are changing the use of a building or if you are going to make a substantial change to an existing building. For example, we are planning to add an extension to our barn, so we needed planning permission for this addition.
Permitted development are rights that you have as the property owner to make changes without having to apply for planning permission. These rights usually include much smaller changes, such as adding a porch, converting a garage or loft. Some house extensions can also be carried out under permitted development rights.
It is therefore important before you go any further, to consider what work you want to carry out and look at the planning rules for your local Council. It may save you time and money to adjust your plans, so you fall within permitted development instead of going through the planning process.

Other Constraints

Be aware of other constraints that may hinder your renovation project. Is the property in a conservation area or is the property listed? Is there a tree preservation order in place? If any of these are the case, then there will be other hurdles you need to jump through. Listed building consent is essential if you want to make any changes to a listed building. Make sure you seek these permissions before starting any work.

Preparing your Application

While not essential, I would strongly recommend that you seek advice and support from an architect at this stage. Although it will feel like a large outlay before your project has even got started, it will save you time, stress and money in the long run. You will need to submit plans with your application; this includes a location plan as well as detailed drawings of your proposals to scale (site/block plan). The architect can provide these for you. They can also help you navigate the process, which is helpful if you are applying for the first time. For the location plan we submitted an extract from OS maps, we also had an architect complete the site plans for us.In addition to the application form, plans and fee, there may be other requirements you need to satisfy before you can submit your application. For us, it was a bat survey and a bat emergence survey. I’d encourage you to look at my previous blog posts on this (see links below). This is also where an architect can help you. While our local Council doesn’t state the need for the surveys on their website, we knew from the architect’s previous experience that they were going to ask for it, so we got this done prior to the application going in so we didn’t delay the process at a later date.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the scope of biodiversity net gain plans increases over the next few years. Therefore, it’s worth thinking ahead of time about what you can offer as a 10% increase in biodiversity.
If you can be ahead of the curve and submit everything the Council will want to see at the beginning, your application will not be delayed later down the line when they ask you to submit these extras. This will help keep your renovation project on track.

Timelines

Your application has been prepared and submitted and the fee paid. Now you wait. Firstly, you are waiting for the Council to confirm your application is valid. This means that they have everything they need and everything appears in order, so they are willing to consider it. Validation starts the clock on your application.
The statutory timeline for local Council’s to consider your application is 8 weeks from the validation date. However, I would allow for longer than this in your renovation project plan. The simpler your request is, the quicker the Council can make a decision. However, Council planning departments are stretched, and the requirements for additional submissions such as bat surveys etc., means they may take more time to consider your application. Ours took over 8 weeks but no explanation was given for this.
You can go onto the Council planning website and look up your application to see how its progressing and who has made submissions. This will give you some idea of what the Council may expect of you if they approve your application.

Council Requests

You will be asked to display a public notice near to the public highway informing the public that you have submitted an application. This has to be displayed for 21 days, so the sooner you can get this up the better.
In lieu of a site visit, the Council asked us to provide further information about the site and its relationship to our neighbours. To assist with this, I was able to send them marked up extracts from Google Maps and aerial photos. I was as thorough as I could be in order to avoid the delay of having a planner visit us. Everything was accepted so I would recommend you do the same if asked.

Decision & Enforcement

You will receive a decision notice stating whether your application was accepted or not. If successful, they may detail conditions that you have to comply with. An example of a standard condition is giving you a time limit in which to start your renovation works. They could provide you with pre-commencement conditions, which means you have to satisfy these conditions and get them approved by the Council before you can start work.
Failure to comply with your planning permission could seriously derail your renovation project. Consequences can include injunctions forcing you to stop work, unlimited fines and legal prosecution.

Summary

• Get an architect involved early to draw up the plans and help you navigate the process.
• Find out from the Council/architect if there is anything else they are likely to ask for and get this in motion before you make your application so as not to delay things further.
• Be helpful. The easier you can make things on the planning department the quicker they will be able to make a decision.
• Build some buffer into your project plan for the decision to take longer than 8 weeks.

Useful Links

Bat Surveys: Bat Surveys – Cwmann Cottages

Bat Emergence Surveys: Bat Emergence Surveys – Cwmann Cottages