Planning consent and time before starting work.??

[njkmr]

Hi Good evening,
In March 06 I was given planning permission to build two bedrooms in my loft space .At the time I was knocking dining room into kitchen area to make one room and a Rsj was put in where the wall was taken down between the two rooms .This was all on the plans I had drawn up .Inspector came out to view the Rsj and all was Ok .I paid a fee at this time after his visit ,which I think he said was for all his following visits inc the bedroom inspections upstairs.As far as I am aware there were no other fees .
I finished the kitchen and never got round to doing the upstairs bedrooms in the loft area ,although I levelled the floor which was previously a sloping roof on a bungalow.(had previously been extended into a pitched roof by previous owner ).
My question is have I left to long to now start the bedrooms,and will I have to pay more fees etc ?
The original drawing basically show a bungalow being turned into normal two storey house,by means of raising roof up and walls and reducing the pitch .
I have also now thought I would prefer large dormers front and rear ,thus keeping it a bungalow albeit a dormer bungalow .Would I have to have new drawings submitted and approved ?? i am thinking I will .
Any help appreciated .
Thankyou .
Rob.

 

[big-all]

always used to be 5 years to start i believe

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

always used to be 5 years to start i believe

Yea that rings a bell with me too.

 

[njkmr]

Thanks fellas ,I thought 5 yrs to start your plans but once started I am thinking it needs to be completed in 3 yrs .
Anybody confirm this for me please .
Thanks.
Rob.

 

[Alastairreid]

from notification of start of project to bc you then have 3yrs till warrant expires. this is regs in Scotland it may not apply in your part of world.

it may be academic anyway as you are deviating so much from original plans imo you may have to get re-drawn and new submission to planning.

 

[^woody^]

Once work subject to the planning approval has been significantly started, then the permission does not expire.

Amendments can be made to the original permission, unless they have a material effect on the permission, in which case a new application for the proposed amended work is required

 

[njkmr]

Thanks Fellas .
I think I can class it as started ,so I will phone them I think and see if they can come out and discuss what I want to do .
Regards
Rob.

 

[njkmr]

Just to update .
I spoke to Building Control today and as far as he is concerned the work has started .He did the inspection of rsj where dining room wall used to be(march 06),so i havent let the 3 yrs lapse .Small relief .
He wants to inspect how I have levelled the floor now and insulation I have put in .
I re-used the original joists which were 7" by 3",which go into the wall each end ,8 metres long.They are supported mid-way by a 8" by 4" rsj .Noggins in between etc .
Will these be substantial enough do you think ??.
.The roof Purlins are supported off the rsj,s by a block pillar as it was previously .1.5 blocks single width upto Purlin.
Does this sound OK ?
Many thanks
Regards
Rob.

 

[jeds]

The time limit for planning consents always used to be 5 years but quite a while now it has been 3 years. For the definitive answer you need to refer back to the decision notice for your consent. It will say either 5 years or, more likely, 3 years.

Your reference to finishing in 3 years sounds like building regs - not planning. Technically, once started, you have 3 years to complete a building regs application.

Anyway, if the consent was granted in March 06, surely it's still within time isn't it?

 

[njkmr]

Jeds ,yes I am still within the time allowed according to the building control bloke I spoke to .

I am not sure if I have a set time to complete the whole job now ,but I will clarify that with him next week when he inspects the levelled floor .
Regards
Rob.

 

[Richard C]

Technically, once started, you have 3 years to complete a building regs application.

Not so; this text is taken directly from the building regulations explanatory book & also appears on the front of my CNC notice dated October 2005;

“For your information the building notice will cease to have effect on the expiry of 3 years from the date on which the notice was received if we have not been notified of the building works commencing.”

My works are still on-going & will hopefully completion around July 09. So, providing you give notice that works have commenced (your supposed to give them 48 hours) technically the building notice remains on-going until you finish, presumably within reasonable time limits but it doesn’t actually say. Having at least one inspection will also prove you’ve started.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

njkmr - reading through the posts i get the feeling you may be confusing Building Regs approval and planning consent. Planning consents did used to be issued with 'this developement must commence within five years' conditions and once you've started (within this time limit) your planning approval lasts forever. This was reduced to 3years some time ago and you'd need to check your approval to know whether you have 3 or 5 years (but as someone has pointed if you start soon you're within 3 years anyway. By the sound of it you've only done a few internal alterations so far and i'm not sure the planning officer would consider this a start to your planning approval as internal alterations do not need planning consent. In any case, if you're intending to erect dormers now instead of raising the walls and lowering the pitch then you'd need a new planning permission anyway as i doubt you'd get this through as an amendment. That said, depending on a several factors, the dormers MAY be permitted development and therefore wouldn't require permission - certainly the one on the back of the house.

I'm not 100% sure about time constraints on Building Regs approvals or building notices but the advice above seems to be accurate. Again though, if you got a full plans approval on the raising walls, altering roof scenario and you're now installing dormers then the plans will need amending and approving??

I've just used, and had approved, 7" x 3" joists @ 450mm centres for a 3.9m span so i'd guess yours will be ok - but i'm no structural engineer!!!

 

[njkmr]

Thanks Andrew .
I dont think there will be any issue with changing my plans to Dormers (next doors has them front and back ).
It may be that I have to re-submit plans though .
Thanks Again
Rob.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Rob, around here planners tend not to like dormers - i've put one on the rear of my house under PD rights but they said i'd likely get refused planning on the front so didn't bother trying. That said, all planning departments vary and if your nieghbours have them then there is an obvious precident there.

 

[njkmr]

Thanks Andrew ,I see what your saying .
I will ask advice off them to see if they are OK with it .
Regards
Rob.