Loft Conversions - Do you need Planning Permission? UK Permitted Development (England and Wales)

[@brobertson536]

Interesting video. Planning Permission - when do you need it; and when is something Permitted Development? These can be quite complex questions and the answers to them depend on various matters such as if your property is a house, a detached house, a semi-detached house, a flat, if you are on a corner plot, if your property has been previously altered, is it a Listed Building, are you in a Conservation Area, have Permitted Development rights been removed from your property. You should always contact your local Council Planning team before you do anything as they will be able to advise on the specifics as they relate to your property. They may have a pre-application advice service, or PD enquiry process. Building Warrant is a separate process, and again you should contact your Buildiing Control / Building Standards officers in your local Council. What this video relates to is how the legislation applies in England and Wales. The legislation in Scotland is different, so anything referred to in the video does not apply!

[@stuartmcintyre6289]

Really enjoyed both your videos so far, thank you. It would be interesting if you did a similar video on conservatories and maybe what modifications are allowed on new builds or existing structures to make them thermally more efficient without treading on the toes of a conservatory - to avoid it becoming an extension in disguise.

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Thanks for the suggestion. It seems to be a common thing that people are replacing the roof of their conservatories with solid insulated roofs to be able to use them all year round as a 'normal' room.

[@chrisgavin]

Didn't know about the 'Certificate of Lawfulness". I'm thinking about adding a couple of Velux roof windows to a front aspect on a 'chalet bungalow' style of house which is already on two floors (i.e. not a loft extension, just some new windows for existing rooms). This sounds like the approach to the Council that would be best for doing this. Many thanks.

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

glad you found it useful

[@hhtproperties]

Explained very well

[@arunbalakrishnan2747]

Very helpful looking forward to more informative video’s

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Glad it was helpful!

[@hurummansurachowdhury1790]

I really like your knowledge. Thank you

[@engr810]

thanks for posting and animations

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Glad you like them!

[@Phil_AKA_ThundyUK]

I take it the 50m2 is a limit of permitted development, so can be greater if planning is sought? What's the reason for the limitation? Just to stop uncontrolled development?

[@Sunbullis]

Great video, can we do hip to gable, the a flat roof rear dormer that is connected to the new plane created byvthe hip to gable? So basically an L shaped dormer consisting of a hip to gable, and a rear dormer? Cheers

[@nicolequa7305]

Can we have more videos please

[@mrpiloni7345]

Brilliant thanks mate

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

No problem 👍

[@neilmcellistrim1717]

Useful, thank you! Although doesn't a hip to gable conversation affect the principal elevation and therefore isn't permitted development?

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Hi there. No, it's only extensions that are made Forward of the principal elevation which are not allowed

[@arnoldmavurayi6628]

Would you please put vedios on what is allowed on already extended houses

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

No problem, I'll explore this further in another video. How old is your house?

[@sw1ne2001]

Like the content, thankyou. Could you give an insight into the software tools that you use and how the Architect / customer engagement process would (or should) work from both perspectives?

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Hi there. I use a piece of software called ArchiCAD - its a commercial grade CAD software package. In terms of the relationship with your architect, it should start with a written scope of service/proposal from them, which encapsulates a clear brief that will have come out of your first meeting with them.

[@marciastacey201]

Hi, I just wondered if you only use PD once? So, just an extension or a loft? Thanks

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Hi there. You can develop your property using PD as many times as you like up to the size/area/volume thresholds. E.g. you could replace a small extension with a larger one under PD (or add to it) as long as the end product is still within PD.

[@saracenjohn]

Love the videos! Would the same rules for pd apply for bungalows? Looking to add a side elevation full height extension and but as it is a dormer it would be 2 storey

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

PD applies equally to bungalows. There is no reason you can't add a side or rear extension within the PD rules.

[@handsfree1000]

When I did the loft conversion on my house, the local authority didn’t have any building inspectors to inspect it at the agreed intervals. Consequently I could not get the building control certificate. Very frustrating.

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

You can regularise the work but this may involve opening up areas of the construction and obviously will be judged by today's standards (e.g insulation thicknesses etc) and not the requirements of the time. Whether this process and any upgrades required is worth it will be down to how your house value may be affected when it comes to sale.

[@davewilson9472]

Fantastic video, thankyou. I'm currently in the middle of trying to find a builder to complete my project. I'm not sure if to use a builder recommended by my architect or whether to source one myself, but do you have any advice on where and how to source a reliable and trustworthy builder that isn't going to inflate their price?

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

You architect may have suggestions or alternatively other neighbours in your street who may have had similar work carried out. Whatever you do, use a JCT Homeowner or RIBA Domestic contract which offers you and your builder good levels of protection and clarity.

[@DerekCarr-z9s]

Thanks for the video, really helpful. I want a hip to gable with rear dormer, bit I am struggling with is the

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Hi there, it is external volume, so using the external faces of the extension.

[@1heUndertaker]

Hi there, Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge! We have a 1920's semi-detached bungalow, and we would like to add two first floor rooms, and increase the current porch size to incorporate a stairway to access the first floor. This would I believe require planning permission etc as the ideas we are considering would necessitate altering the roof and increasing the apex height, as the loft height (currently not boarded or used) is below 2.0m at it's highest point. Our question is - is it possible for planning permission to be granted for extensions both forward and upward on the principle (road facing) elevation, along with substantial changes to the roof design? Our bungalow is not in a 'restricted' area. We understand that you would only be expressing an opinion, and that there are many variables involved. As this would be our first *major* building/alteration project, we are searching for what to do and how to go about preparing a 'successful' planning application. Cheers!

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Hi there. It's possible but the planners may have a view about how the 'streetscene' is affected. If there is a very strong building line (all the building fronts are the same distance from the highway) then it may be more difficult. The further back from the road also, the less it will matter. Has anyone else in the street extended forward?

[@1heUndertaker]

@@TheArchitectKZbin Thank you for responding sir! I appreciate the insight you have shared. The houses in the immediate area around us are of quite differing design - detached and semi-detached houses, detached and semi-detached bungalows, of varying distance from the highway and with build dates from the 1920's to the 1970's. And further down the road (about 300 meters) a new 'modern design' house has just been built (in the garden of a large detached bungalow. The closest elevation of our bungalow is about 5 meters from the path/road. Thank you again.

[@1heUndertaker]

@@TheArchitectKZbin I am just wondering if any of your viewers would benefit from information in regard to extending homes with the planning permission process - and maybe the differences/challenges between the options? Just a thought/idea for future videos?

[@DidarHussain.]

is the rule where one must do one extension before the other. For example, do I have to do a loft conversion before doing 3 metre ground floor rear extensions. Sorry if im not making sense. It might be a silly question.

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Hi there - not a silly question! You can certainly undertake simultaneous PD extensions, both within the same or different PD classes.

[@meoshcam5930]

How do you work out the volume for a hip to gable extension? Is it the new volume or the volume of the whole 'prysm' shape?

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Hi there - its the volume of the new addition which as you say is essentially a prism shape. You need to take some measurements of the existing roof and here is a method for working out the volume of a triangular prism: thirdspacelearning.com/gcse-maths/geometry-and-measure/volume-of-a-prism/

[@jeffocarroll7848]

We bought a house recently in auction which has a loft conversion which does not appear to be complaint. No fire door or fire sensors. Also in a Conservation area. What do we need to be to make sure it is complaint?

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Hi there. There are two aspects to this - planning and building regulations. Firstly you need to apply for planning permission retrospectively. If this is successful you then need to 'normalise' the work under building regulations with another Retrospective application. This may involve having to make some holes to expose any hidden structure to prove to the building inspector what has been done.

[@MrBiggle2]

Hi what about simply raising the roof by 3-4ft? 😊

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

You'll need planning permission for that i'm afraid!

[@kalbirsingh1411]

Our neighbour our neighbour has started a build like this . But they gave us no notice and no plans . And part of there build has come on to our roof . What can I do ?

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

You could first ring the Planning Enforcement team at the Local Council to check if it's legal from a planning point of view. Really the neighbour should be serving you with a 'party wall notice' if the work affects the wall with your property.

[@dan.barrett]

Our neighbour has just built a 5 metre extension without planning!!

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Speak to them first to see if there is any more context (e.g. have they demolished an 'original' part of the building before adding the new extension? If you have no luck you can contact planning enforcement at the council

[@sidperry7748]

Hi, do roof lights on the side of the building have to have frosted glass , thanks

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Yes, they would

[@MasterVSolo]

Can a 2 floor property be split into two flats without planning permission as no exterior is being changed?

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

Hi there. Permission is required as new dwelling units are being created (with implications for parking, local infrastructure etc.). However most planning depts are looking to increase the variety of dwellings on offer so may not be an issue. You have given me a good idea for a video, thank you!

[@eelm2079]

duplicate of another video?

[@TheArchitectYoutube]

What video might that be?