planning permission needed?

[notelvis]

Due to an accident where a lodger has fallen off her first floor flat roof, my sister has been told by her insurance company that she must install a safety railing. The house is in a conservation area but not listed building. Do temporary ie removable railings need planning consent? Also is it an offence under planning laws for anyone to actually go on the flat roof for any reason? There's nothing in the the planning consent for the flat roof about this. I need to get a barrier up fast as she wont have house insurance otherwise.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

That's rubbish, tell her to talk to the Insurance Ombudsman, what about the millions of flat roofs that don't have fall protection?

Haven't you posted this before?

 

[notelvis]

Due to an accident where a lodger has fallen off her first floor flat roof, my sister has been told by her insurance company that she must install a safety railing. The house is in a conservation area but not listed building. Do temporary ie removable railings need planning consent? Also is it an offence under planning laws for anyone to actually go on the flat roof for any reason? There's nothing in the the planning consent for the flat roof about this. I need to get a barrier up fast as she wont have house insurance otherwise.

Dont much appreciate being told my query is rubbish. Am first time user of this site. Anyone else out there who can tell me if temporary safety railings that can be put up when required need planning permission (conservation area) and whether it breaks any laws actually walking on a flat roof.

 

[^woody^]

FMT meant that what the insurance company had said was rubbish, not your post

See here, and the link in that thread www.diynot.com/forums/building-regs-planning/enforcement-notice.327605/

You don't need to install guarding unless the roof is designated as an area to use or balcony etc, and is let to this lodger under some contract/tenancy

Just because someone falls, does not me there is liability for the accident or an obligation to foresee or prevent it

 

[notelvis]

FMT meant that what the insurance company had said was rubbish, not your post

See here, and the link in that thread www.diynot.com/forums/building-regs-planning/enforcement-notice.327605/

You don't need to install guarding unless the roof is designated as an area to use or balcony etc, and is let to this lodger under some contract/tenancy

Just because someone falls, does not me there is liability for the accident or an obligation to foresee or prevent it

Your missing the point and not answering my question:
Clearly going on the flat roof to clear gutters etc is dangerous in this instance, someone has already fallen off. My sister is keen to provide safety barriers even if insurance co. cant enforce it as you say. She doesn't feel it sufficient to say shes not to blame when someone else falls off-its her house so she feels responsible. The question was does she need planning permission to erect removable barriers or to actually go on the roof.

 

[^woody^]

Your missing the point and not answering my question

Oh, I do apologise. But I'll take that advice and not bother

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

It think you are missing the point why fit barriers if they are necessary?

 

[chapeau]

Your missing the point and not answering my question

So ask him for your money back.

Lot's of people falling off flat roofs right now....

If you searched he might have answered it here...

//www.diynot.com/forums/roofin...g-permission-for-decking-on-flat-roof.317380/

(and i'm not sure what the insurance company has done wrong, they can pick and choose who they insure, and if they have a customer with a track record which they believe puts them at a higher risk of a claim they can impose conditions. If you don't like it then go to comparethemeerkat.com and get another quote)

 

[FresnoBob]

Is this post connected to the linked one above?

If the lodger has literally climbed through a window onto the flat roof, or up some stairs/ladders onto it and fell down....then surely that is their own fault? I'd ask to speak to somebody else at the insurance company, or change insurers. Lodger shouldn't have been up there in the first place.

If the roof has been done up as a roof terrace without the relevant planning and/or building control involvement, that's another matter. Personally I wouldn't bother doing it this way, I'd pay the relevant fees and try and do it properly. Do the insurance company think it's a proper pukka roof terrace?

As for going up to clean the roof and gutters, if you're paying a tradesman to do this, then they should have their own insurance to cover themselves. If you're going it yourself then you takes your chances etc....if I climb a ladder (I hate heights) to work on my house, I appreciate it's at me own risk.

Methinks somebody is being a cheeky monkey and trying to find a way to use a flat roof as a roof terrace without any red tape . If that was the case, I'm sure there's plenty of ways of making a temporary railing that could be folded down/collapsed/removed....doubt it would fool anybody if somebody has reported you and is already keeping an eye on you.

 

[FresnoBob]

For the record if this post is connected, and you have spent £5000 on it, like it states in the other post, I feel your pain. It goes to show you can never be too careful when it comes to taking the words of others and doing your own research. I spent years (yes, I'm that anal lol) researching how to do my house up, and even longer speaking to building control before I even picked a hammer up.