Don’t fall foul of the law when installing a dream summerhouse
Few gardeners think about it, but garden building regulations must be met if you’re thinking of adding or improving a structure on your land. Online garden building retailer Garden Buildings Direct has this advice on planning permission law for outdoor structures.
Whether you need planning permission or not depends on the building’s position and size. As long as you meet certain rules, you should be able to go ahead without extra permission.
Garden building regulations advice
A Garden Buildings Direct spokesperson said: “Thousands of families across the UK are lucky enough to enjoy an indoor space in their garden. The majority of these will rightly be deemed appropriate in the eyes of the law.
“We suspect there is a minority of homeowners, however, that haven’t checked whether their outdoor building complies with regulations. In failing to do so, they are breaking a number of planning permission laws.
“If your dream summerhouse is a two-storey timber structure with a fancy balcony, for instance, you will need to obtain planning permission. Similarly, if you are lucky enough to live in a listed building or on designated land, there’s a certain set of rules you will have to follow before building an outdoor office or playhouse.”
What is a Permitted Development?
A Permitted Development doesn’t need planning permission as long as it:
- Is single storey and does not feature verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
- Does not take up more than 50 per cent of the land around the original house.
- Has a maximum overall height of no more than 2.5m from existing ground level, a maximum overall height of 4m with a dual-pitched roof, or 3m for any other roof.
- Will be placed more than 2m from your property’s boundaries.
- Will not be used as a self-contained living accommodation.
- Is closer to the original house than it is to a road or public highway.
- Has an internal size of 30m2 or less.
- Is not placed close, or within a small radius of a listed property.
- Does not cover an area larger than 10m2 if it is to be placed on designated land. This refers to national parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, World Heritage Sites, or the Broads.
- Will not be placed to the side of a property on designated land.
For more information, visit Garden Buildings Direct.
