Conservatories have become enormously popular with homeowners as a convenient way of extending a property, or providing a unique addition that will add value to a home. In most cases, planning permission should not be required for someone who is building a conservatory, but there are a number of issues to consider. To ensure that your property does not require planning permission, it is a good idea to make sure you have considered the following points before pressing forward with your home improvement plans:
Detached and semi detached properties - where you have a property like this then you should make sure that your conservatory is no more than 115% or 70m3 of the total volume of the property. For example, if you decide to have had a lounge extension of 40m3 and a conservatory of 46m3 this would mean that the volume was 86m3 - 16m3 more than the limit - meaning you would need planning permission for the conservatory. This, of course will mean that your local planning office will contact those home owners nearby and check to see if there is any objection to your plans and can take a few weeks to process so you should certainly check whether your new conservatory will require this basic permission first.
Terraced properties - here you have only 50m3 volume to work with, so a lounge extension of 20m3 and a conservatory of 36m3, for example, would put you 6m3 over the limit - lean to conservatories tend to go hand in hand with terraced homes as these generally are built to be of an appropriate size for these types of houses and tend to fit well aesthetically with these kind of buildings.
You may also need to obtain planning permission where: previous planning permission rights have been removed or retracted; where the conservatory is 20m or less from a public footpath or road; or if the plans for the conservatory covers 50% of more of the original garden. Listed buildings and those located in conservation areas may not be able to have conservatories at all. It is important to check whether you will need planning permission for your conservatory, and if so, to obtain it before building the conservatory - otherwise you will have wasted time and money putting up something that may have to be pulled down.
In addition to planning permission you should also ensure that your new conservatory is going to be built in accordance with any building regulations which may be relevant to the new development work.
If in doubt your local building control office should be able to provide further information and guidance. You will also find that most reputable conservatory companies have a good understanding of both planning permissions and building regulations regarding orangeries, conservatories and sunrooms and if they do not you have to question why they do not.
Olivia Reynolds has written many articles about building, construction and home improvement having worked in the industry for many years. She is currently working with Top Tradespeople, the tradesmen recommendation website where homeowners can compare quotes from local tradespeople, including conservatory companies quotes.
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