Garden Container Office - Planning Permission?

[Tim84]

So I have looked and, from what I can see, have decided no planning permission is required if I want to put a 20' x 8' shipping container in my garden to use as 50% office and 50% storage.

The location is down the side of my house between house and boundary wall, you can see it in this old google maps view where the previous owner has dog kennels and I've drawn a slightly container sized rectangle:

Untitled

• Tim84
• 27 May 2013
• 1

Containers are 8' tall so it would stick out about 2' above the boundary wall but I will address that in another sub forum, here is my remarkably brilliant iPad illustration that may win some photoshop awards:

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• Tim84
• 27 May 2013
• 1

This is, IMO, an outbuilding and therefore subject to the following restrictions within which it fits. Is everyone here of the same opinion and therefore agree no Planning Permission is required?

According to this link, outbuildings are considered to be permitted development, not needing planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:

• No outbuilding on land forward of a wall forming the principal elevation.
  
  Outbuildings and garages to be single storey with maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of four metres with a dual pitched roof or three metres for any other roof.
  
  Maximum height of 2.5 metres in the case of a building, enclosure or container within two metres of a boundary of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse.
  
  No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
  
  No more than half the area of land around the "original house"* would be covered by additions or other buildings.
  
  In National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites the maximum area to be covered by buildings, enclosures, containers and pools more than 20 metres from house to be limited to 10 square metres.
  
  On designated land* buildings, enclosures, containers and pools at the side of properties will require planning permission.
  
  Within the curtilage of listed buildings any outbuilding will require planning permission.
  
  *The term "original house" means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.
  
  *Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.

 

[^woody^]

Its a side fronting a highway, you need PP

Also, the containers will constitute operational development and not be outbuildings under PD

 

[Tim84]

Thanks for the quick reply ^woody^ even if it's not what I wanted to hear!

I take it the grass verge doesn't make any difference to the fact it's fronting a highway?

Any guess on how likely I'd be to get permission?

 

[^woody^]

You may be more likely to get PP if you made it look less container-like

 

[Tim84]

Yep, my thoughts exactly, hence I didn't want it to require permission!

I think, to top it all off, we're classed as an AONB too so the container look of a container is not going to float many planning permission boats.

Quite what is O, N or B about my house I'm not sure but I guess it just compliments the Chilterns!

Loads of space for a proper brick extension that would, IMO, gain PP with no probs but this was supposed to be a quick and cheap way of getting me out of the house. Looks like I may need to come up with another solution...

 

[kingandy2nd]

Shipping containers that size are around a grand. You could spend that money (and maybe a bit more) and get a really decent wooden shed/cabin to fit in that space.

Would look a lot nicer too.

Or even something like this (but wait until they have a 20% off weekend)

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wc...ay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=180748

 

[Tim84]

I've been looking at this a lot and from what I can see £1k would not get me something anywhere near decent for what I need. My budget is £2k for which I can get a fully refurbished and converted container with 50/50 office storage so I can then also get rid of the garden shed and in future convert the garage and still have plenty of storage.

Sheds/cabins for even up to £2k that I have seen so far have a couple of main issues for me:
- not insulated
- not secure

I'll be working from it up to four days a week all year round. On top of this I will have a lot of money's worth of computers, routers, phones etc. in there at all times hence I like the container idea for security as it's vulnerable down the side of the house.

If anyone can think of/find a suitable wooden structure for up to £2k then please send a link my way as I'm stuck!

 

[b3taman]

Just a word of advice for those looking at containers - you're correct in thinking the steel ones are not insulated and so not good for office conversion or for storage. Insulated ex-cold store containers are available but as they are rare and so much more useful for storage they will cost about £2.5k, whether its a 20ft or a 40'
The best option is to get an anti vandal site cabin - these will already have windows and be fully insulated. Again, smaller ones are not necessarily cheaper as they are less common. You'll pay about £2k for a reasonable one, and they are very secure. There's always plenty on ebay.
Hope this helps.

 

[mattylad]

You can cut into a shipping container and weld a new door frame on, insulate it with floor & false walls. IMO it woulod be much more secure than a wooden one.

Gets damn hot in the summer though.

Paint it and it soon begins to flake.

 

[Paul82]

Hello Tim, did you manage to find a solution for your garden office?
I may have something you may be interested in if you are still looking in the form of a prototype garden office structure manufactured from Structural Insulated Panels, let me know if you would like to know more?