Planning

At Yate Windows, our team of specialists are happy to guide you with all the aspects of planning for your conservatory. However, it is your responsibility to make sure that you have the relevant permissions for us to erect your conservatory.

Keeping It Legal

Yate Windows is recognised in the market for providing expert advice when you are considering improvements to your home. You can rest assured that we are fully equipped to provide you with the right information when it comes to planning.

In recent years, central government has relaxed regulations concerning building matters, however it is still vital that any construction work taking place on your property still addresses the valid regulations.

If PDR (Permitted Development Rights) are in place on your property, then small extensions and conservatories can be erected (within certain limits) without contacting your local authority. Conservatories do not come under building regulations as long as an outside door is maintained between the house and conservatory, and also any heating is separate to the house heating system. Under PDR, a conservatory can be erected 3m deep (4m if on a detached property) as long as the conservatory and any additional extensions use less than 50% of the garden space.

Please visit this website for further details.

Your Responsibilities

As with all types of building work, the owner of the land/property in question is responsible for complying with the building regulations and planning rules, regardless of the need to apply for any of these things. This means that failure to adhere to the required rules will result in the owner being responsible for any remedial action including restoration or demolition.

Therefore, it is wise to always discuss your proposals with your local planning authority and building control service before starting any work. Find out more about your responsibilities here.

Permitted Development Rights

If you have only had minor adjustments made to your house, planning permission is not always required. These are known as ‘permitted development rights’ and are described in this guide. They derive from general planning permission that is actually granted by Parliament. Please be mindful that the development rights, which apply to most common projects for domestic houses, do not apply to maisonettes, flats, or other buildings.

If the property is listed, there are various differences in requirements, too. The Planning Portal’s™ general advice is to contact your local planning authority before any work begins and discuss your proposal. Planning Portal is in a position to make you aware of any reason why the development may not be permitted, and also if you need to apply for planning permission for all of the work or just part of it.

Permitted Development Rights Withdrawn

It is also worth noting that the local planning authority might have issued an Article 4 direction, which removes any of your development rights. If this is the case, you have to submit a planning application for work that wouldn’t normally need one. You can learn more about this here.

Lawful Development Certificates

You are able to apply for a Lawful Development Certificate to ensure that your proposal does not require planning permission or to check the existing use of a property is legal for planning purposes. Taking this step is not compulsory, though it is a wise precaution for planning control purposes to ensure that and operations or activity named in it has also been lawful.

If your application is fully or partly declined, or is accepted differently from what you requested, or is not decided on within the 8-week time limit, you are able to appeal. Appeals are made to the Planning Inspectorate. You can find out more about Lawful Development Certificates here.

Transfer of Private Sewers

On 1 October 2011, Wessex Water™ became responsible for the ownership and maintenance of thousands of kilometres of private sewers, following changes made by the government. Please be aware that if you are planning to build a garage, extension, or conservatory to your existing property, there may be a public sewer in the way.

If this is the case, and you would like to continue the build above the sewer, you must agree on various protection measures with Wessex Water. If this is not possible, it may be viable to divert the sewer instead. If you fail to comply with the formal agreements, you may jeopardise future sales of your property.

You can call the sewer protection team on 01225 526333 or send them an email to discuss any proposals you may have before any work begins. If you propose to build over any public sewer, Wessex Water may need to arrange a CCTV survey. Take a look at this PDF for more information about building over a public sewer.