building regs and knocking down walls

[pintail120]

Hi,
I would like to knock down the walls between my bathroom and toilet to scavenge space to install a shower. I have called the council about planning permission and they have said its ok to knock the walls down without planning permission as long as they are not load bearing walls. My neighbor says I still need permission on the plans or I need to amend the plans for when I want to sell the house.

Could someone please tell me legally all that needs to be done to allow me to knock the walls down?

thanks
Gavin

 

[^woody^]

What are the 'plans' the neighbour is refering to?

You can do this work with out needing to apply for permission if it is not loadbearing. If it is loadbearing you should apply for b/regs approval, but many would not bother with no problem at sale time.

Look in the loft to check if its supporting anything

 

[pintail120]

What are the 'plans' the neighbour is refering to?

You can do this work with out needing to apply for permission if it is not loadbearing. If it is loadbearing you should apply for b/regs approval, but many would not bother with no problem at sale time.

Look in the loft to check if its supporting anything

Not to sure what she has meant or how sure she is about what she is refering to either. Are there plans that you have to submit when selling your house? Do you get plans of what it looked like when you bought it and now will have a descrepancy of that they look like for purpose of sale?

The cement walls are built ontop of wooden floor boards, which are supported by joists. I stay in a Flat complex on the ground floor with a flat above mine. So I expect that this wall could not be load bearing as I cannot imagine an entire flat above mine resting on my cement walls which then rest on wooden floor boards. So assume from this that they are not load bearing. THere is a solid Slab above my flat which is a re-eforced concrete slab that seperates the two dewlings.

If I do not need planning permission, are there any other permissions I need to obtain like Building regulations as this website outlines:

http://www.house-extension.co.uk/planning/building_regulations.htm

thanks for all the advice so far
Gavin

 

[^woody^]

are there any other permissions I need to obtain like Building regulations as this website outlines:

see previous post.

Plans are not looked at at sale time, your neighbour is confused/confusing

You will need express consent from your landlord/service agents for this alteration.

 

[pintail120]

[quote="pintail120";p="833871 are there any other permissions I need to obtain like Building regulations as this website outlines:

see previous post.
Plans are not looked at at sale time, your neighbour is confused/confusing
You will need express consent from your landlord/service agents for this alteration.

I own the property, that means I do not have a landlord, but the land is lease hold. Does that mean I have to get permission from the my lease holder? Who is the service agent?

many thanks again for all your help
Gavin

 

[hotrod]

I assume you pay a monthly / yearly service charge to a company / agent who maitain the communal parts of the building? These are the people Woody is refering to, who you need to speak to before making any alterations.

 

[^woody^]

With flats, you may own the flat, but the block is owned by a landlord, and internal alterations may require the landlords permission.

Check the terms of the lease

A service agent is someone who looks after the block on behalf of the landlord. You may or may not have one

 

[pintail120]

I assume you pay a monthly / yearly service charge to a company / agent who maitain the communal parts of the building? These are the people Woody is refering to, who you need to speak to before making any alterations.

We have a LTD company that each flat owner is director of, myself being one of them. One person is elected as the chairperson and we all vote on what happens as a group. So I would need to ask the chairperson if they have any jobjections.

Is this correct?
thanks again for your help

 

[pintail120]

If I do not need planning permission, are there any other permissions I need to obtain like Building regulations
Gavin

can someone quote on the bold, was left out sorry to keep naggin
just that I see on the council website they talk about two things needed to do anything
1) planning permission - this is not needed as I am not taking down load bearing walls they said
2) building regulations

thanks again for all the help fellas, your really been a great help
cheers
Gavs

 

[^woody^]

If I do not need planning permission, are there any other permissions I need to obtain like Building regulations
Gavin

can someone quote on the bold, was left out sorry to keep naggin

See post nr 2 and 4

You don't need building regulations if its not a structural (ie loadbearing) wall

You've got an unusual ownership arrangement. Your first post made it sound like a house, then it becomes a flat, then it becomes some limited company with directors instead of tenants.

So the only other thing to do is check your individual company policy arrangements for this type of alteration.

So it may well be that your neighbours talk of plans may apply after all if it is built into whatever business arrangement you have got going there

 

[pintail120]

See post nr 2 and 4

You don't need building regulations if its not a structural (ie loadbearing) wall

You've got an unusual ownership arrangement. Your first post made it sound like a house, then it becomes a flat, then it becomes some limited company with directors instead of tenants.

So the only other thing to do is check your individual company policy arrangements for this type of alteration.

So it may well be that your neighbours talk of plans may apply after all if it is built into whatever business arrangement you have got going there

apologies, its a flat for sure, just sometime call it my "house", but its a flat. The LTD company arrangement is so that everyone takes ownership of the repair expenses. THe LTD company has a bank account and it borrows money to fix stuff in the property.

are you saying buildin regs and plannin permission are the same?

thanks again for all the advice

 

[^woody^]

are you saying buildin regs and plannin permission are the same?

No I'm not

Perhaps someone else may like to chip in?

 

[hotrod]

No I'm not

Perhaps someone else may like to chip in?

PMSL@ Woody. Testing your patience is he Woody?

OK Pintail. All you could ever wish to know about planning and Building Regs (and the differences) here:-
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115315272372.html

You may also find this useful:-
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/hhg/houseguide.html

Enjoy
[/quote]

 

[noseall]

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=400202#400202

 

[Softus]

This really isn't very hard.

1. Contact your local council planning department.
They will help you determine whether or not your changes require planning consent before work starts.

2. Contact your local council building control department.
They will help you determine whether or not your changes require a building notice to be issued before work starts.

3. Look at your lease and any conditions and covenants therein.
This will tell you whether you need permission from anyone else to do the thing you want to do.

4. Stop bugging people on this forum until you've done all of the above.