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Planning Rules are Government led and each Local Authority has its own policies on how buildings should look and function. Planning relates to changes in the visual appearance or use of buildings such as an extension to a house, or a conversion of a house into flats, or a new build house, and how it relates to the local area and street scene.

Planning Permission can be one of the main hurdles to clear when thinking about making changes to your home and needs to be given careful consideration from the start, at extendyourhouse.co.uk, we will be able to advise you of how to achieve the best results during our free initial visit/meeting.

Planning Approval is usually required for most projects where the appearance of the building is changed, e.g. one/two storey extension, conservatory, sun lounge, attached garage, attached car port, bay window, roof extension and dormer window.

Changes to the way in Planning Departments consider applications come into force on 1st October 2008, where you can extend or add to your home without the need to apply for planning permission, provided you meet a new set of limits and conditions. The new regime for what is allowed without planning permission applies largely to the dimensions of the proposed extension, its position on the house and its proximity to your boundaries.

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/hhg/houseguide.html

Planning Applications are handled by Planning Officers in the Planning Department of your Local Authority. The decision whether approval is granted or not is taken by a committee of local councillors or a senior planner based upon the recommendations of the designted planning officer.

It is usual for a planning application to take eight to ten weeks to process after submission of your plans. Remember that there is always the possibility that your application may be refused, in which case the time needed for amendments and re-submissions can be even lengthier.

A common misconception is that because other houses in the street have certain extensions, this will automatically mean that yours will be allowed....wrong!  Planning policy changes over time and has become much more stringent in recent years, therefore existing examples of extensions in your street may have been allowed under rules that have now changed.

For example, flat roof side extensions to houses that already have sloping roofs are not now normally approved, whereas they may have been 10 years ago. Also there are now stricter rules on sizes and locations dormer windows where loft conversions have been carried out.

For a full explaination of the planning process, the link below will send you to the Communities & Local Government website where you can download information about the processes involved.

Please remember, there is always the possibility that your Application may be refused. However, we will strive to work with the planning officer to come up with a solution before a refusal notice is issued where possible. In some cases a new submission may be required, which is usually free of charge if submitted within 12 months of any withdrawl or refusal.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/planningguidehouseholders

Building Regulations  are not to be confused with Planning Permission, the Building Regulations are there to ensure that buildings are altered or constucted to a minimum standard which meet the 'Approved Documents'. These are a set of 14 documents that cover in detail many areas such as structure, fire escape, drainage, ventilation, insulation, stairs, electrical works and so on.

Building Regulation applications are handled by Building Control Officers (BCO) at your Local Authority offices. You often find that BCO's are former builders with good knowledge of local building practices. Unlike planning, there is no committee and you should not have to endure a long wait for approvals. Approvals can be gained within 5 weeks, and whereas Planning is not guaranteed, Building Control approval will always pass (sometimes with conditions), providing the requirements of the BCO are met.

Extendyourhouse.co.uk has recently become a member of the Local Authority Building Control Partner Authority Scheme. This enables us to have a consistent approach to the interpretation of the Building Regulations, a single point of contact for all schemes anywhere in England & Wales. This means a more stremlined approach to gaining Building Control approvals, with less paperwork, fewer queries and faster processing of applications.

The plans and specification which need to be checked are based on your approved Planning Permission drawings, but are more detailed & cover the nitty gritty of how it is to be built and what it is to be built with. To the unprofessional eye, these plans can look confusing, but your builder should be fully conversant with the materials described & terms used.

A fee of around £135 is payable direct to the Council for the checking of your plans, and a further fee of around £300 is payable later for the inspections. This will be invoiced to you direct once work starts on site. This inspection fee is dependant on the size of the proposed work. Unlike Planning Applications, each Authority sets its own fees for works associated with Building Regulations Applications. This information can be obtained from your local council website.

Once your plans are passed, the work can start on site. The BCO will visit the site on commencement, and make arrangements with the builder to inspect at specific points through the progress of the works to check that the works are up to the minimum standard that the regulations require.

When the works are complete, you can ask the Building Control Officer to give you a 'Completion Certificate' to confirm that everything has been done to his satisfaction. You must keep this safe should you sell your property in the future. 

Again, the Government produce a guide for the Building Regulations process that goes into greater detail. Click the following link.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/buildingregulationsexplanatory