While planning permission isn’t legally required for all home extension and renovation projects, it’s necessary for most projects that extend the building’s footprint.
Planning permission can be much more difficult to obtain in some areas than others, particularly in more urban areas. If you think you might run into some difficulty, here are some tips for successful planning permission in difficult areas.
1. Know your local regulations
This is an obvious one, but planning permission regulations differ by region. There can be limitations based on the size of your planned extension, the materials you can use, and the purpose of use. To be more successful on your initial application, research your local authority’s specific regulations.
2. Be considerate of neighbours
One of the most common reasons planning applications are denied is because neighbours contest them. For example, neighbours can object if they feel the house extension will affect their privacy, or if it leads to loss of light on their property. These sorts of issues can be easily fixed by being considerate in your design and showing your neighbours the plans before you submit.
3. Do some research
Planning applications are publically accessible documents. This means you can find them on your local authority’s website, including successful and rejected applications. Spend some time looking over the rejected ones to look for common complaints. If any of these are applicable to your plans, see if you can find ways to avoid making the same mistakes. Altering your plans before you submit will hopefully improve your chances of success.
4. Know the difference between renovation and extension
For most properties (excluding listed buildings), renovations are possible under permitted development. This can include things you might consider relatively invasive, such as installing new doors or windows, or converting an internal garage into a living space. Some authorities will even permit single-storey extensions, providing they follow certain guidelines. Knowing the difference between home extension and home renovation, and changing your plans accordingly, can save you a lot of time and money.
5. Hire a professional
If all of this sounds like too much work, you can save time by hiring a professional design team, such as Mapleview. The benefit of hiring a professional is that they’ll already have the knowledge of local building regulations and so can advise you accordingly. You’ll be able to adjust your ideas before they become concrete plans and doing so will give you a much greater chance of success for your home extension.
Conclusion
Being successful with planning permission can take a lot of work, particularly in areas with lower success rates. But you can avoid a lot of the stress and difficulty by hiring a professional Company to take care of things for you.
So if you’re planning a home extension or big renovation project, why not contact Mapleview to discuss your initial requirements. We have the relevant industry knowledge to ensure your chances of success are much higher, saving you time and stress during the application process.