What Planning Permission Do You Need Before Building A Conservatory Or Orangery?

Christmas isn’t too far away and some householders are gifting themselves a brand new conservatory or orangery for the annual festivities.

You will struggle to find a better setting to enjoy this most special time of year, but before any would-be conservatory or orangery owner gets to realise their ambition in time for Santa coming, they must check if they require planning permission first.

Planning laws are enforced to protect our precious landscape and breaching them can lead to all sorts of problems for householders, the kind of problems that we’re not prepared to see our customers face.

Are you happy to risk potentially being ordered to knock the structure down or at least modify the design at great cost just for the sake of not bothering to check that it complies with planning requirements?

Any breach of planning laws could also make selling the property difficult in the future – no prospective buyer will want to own a property with an extension that falls foul of the rules.

When every one of the following limits and conditions is met, you can proceed having the proposed conservatory / orangery built…

• No more than half the area of land around the “original house”* would be covered by additions or other buildings.
• No extension forward of the principal elevation or side elevation fronting a highway.
• No extension to be higher than the highest part of the roof.
• Single-storey rear extension must not extend beyond the rear wall of the original house* by more than three metres if an attached house or by four metres if a detached house.
• In addition, outside Article 2(3) designated land* and Sites of Special Scientific Interest the limit is increased to 6m if an attached house and 8m if a detached house until 30 May 2019.
• Maximum height of a single-storey rear extension of four metres.
• Extensions of more than one storey must not extend beyond the rear wall of the original house* by more than three metres.
• Maximum eaves height of an extension within two metres of the boundary of three metres.
• Maximum eaves and ridge height of extension no higher than existing house.
• Side extensions to be single storey with maximum height of four metres and width no more than half that of the original house.
• Two-storey extensions no closer than seven metres to rear boundary.
• Roof pitch of extensions higher than one storey to match existing house.
• Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.
• No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
• Upper-floor, side-facing windows to be obscure-glazed; any opening to be 1.7m above the floor.
• On designated land* no permitted development for rear extensions of more than one storey.
• On designated land no cladding of the exterior.
• On designated land no side extensions.

* The term “original house” means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.

* Designated land includes conservation areas, national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and World Heritage Sites.

You won’t have to be concerned about these limits and conditions when you enjoy “Permitted Development Rights”. They apply to single storey rear extensions between 3 metres and 6 metres (for an attached house) and 4 metres and 8 metres (for a detached house) built before 30^th May 2019.

If a planning application needs to be submitted to your local authority for you to be able to get that dream extension, Hazlemere will help! Make the first move towards adding one to your home by booking an appointment.