Question about porch/entrance

[ambercelery]

Hi,

My house is an ex-council terrace house. I'm not too sure how to describe it but the front door is set back a little way into the house, so the upstairs kind of shelters a space of around 1.5m by 2.5metres. My next door neighbour has the same with an alleyway between the two houses to our respective gardens.
Before I had bought the house, the previous owner had boxed in the entrance area i..e the 1.5m by 2.5 space with wooden panels, another front door and a window. This now gives a kind of porch area which makes the entrance lie flush with the rest of the house (i.e the upstairs).

My question is - am I able to replace the wooden panels and brick it up without requiring planning permission. Ideally i would like to remove the inside external front door and perhaps replace this with interior door, with actual entrance to the house becoming the only exterior type door. Is this still classed as an extension even though I am only extending the downstairs to be the same as it currently is upstairs (and in fact exactly the same as it is now with the wooden panels)

I hope you can help

 

[ColJack]

am I to understand the wooden panels form part of the wall the door is in?

if so why not just change to a UPVC front door with a half glazed panel next to it?

 

[masona]

Genarally speaking the porch need planning permission would have a ground externally area of more than 3m2 and not higher then 3m or less than 2m away from the boundary which includes public road and footpath etc, a quick phone call to your local BCO will tell you over the phone.