50% uplift rules

[someonelse]

Does a conservatory count as 'uplift'?

Reason for asking is I'm (probably!) buying a property (Conservation Area) and want to demolish a conservatory (which has consent) and replace it with a garden room/orangery (similar size).

As the property has already been extended, Planners have informally suggested I'd not be able to extend a side extension ( 3m x 2mextra) due to the 50% uplift rule. So if a conservatory is not counted as an extension for 50% purposes, then converion to garden room would fail. But if the conservatory counts towards the property footprint, then demolishing it would mean the garden room would be OK.

Make sense?

 

[tony1851]

By "50% uplift" do you mean the rule that states that to be permitted development, a side extension must be no more than 1/2 the width
of the original house?
If the conservatory is on the side, and is being demolished, then your (single-storey) side extension must be no wider than 1/2 the width of the house as it was built (or as it existed in 1947).
Or have i misunderstood what you mean?

 

[someonelse]

Planners comment re the side extension:
property has been significantly extended in past so would not comply with 50% uplift in floor area criteria for a householder application in the Green Belt.

Re replacing the conservatory:
Would need planning permission so don't demolish the existing conservatory until replacement approved. Don't think Green Belt will be an issue but will be down to the Conservation Architect's comments.

I was surprised as I expected replacing a conservatory with a room would uplift the floor area so I'm not sure they've understood my plan is not alike-for-like replacement.

Hency my query about this 50% uplift business and what it means.

As what I might/might not be able to do might affect the decision to buy, I'm trying to get a handle on it without actually drawing up plans and submitting an application...

 

[Leofric]

property has been significantly extended in past so would not comply with 50% uplift in floor area criteria for a householder application in the Green Belt. -
doesn't the planners reply answer the question ? - and the orangery would require planning permission anyway !
Regards

 

[RichA]

Can you not do this as PD? Do you have a set of rough plans showing original and extensions?

Greenbelt can be tricky; and 50% is higher than some LBCs. My LBC wanted 35% max uplift. But using a combination of PD and full plans I have managed to get 75%+

 

[wessex101]

This has got confused by conflating the Councils Green Belt Policy and Conservation Area Policy.

The 50% rule probably applies under the Green Belt policy. You should read the actual policy but it usually includes the gross floor area of the original dwelling including all ancillary accommodation, things like porches, attached garages, conservatories etc. So if we were just dealing with a building in the Green Belt I would say the conservatory floor area would be included in the "uplift" but you could get around this by building a new side extension under your Permitted Development rights.

However, this is complicated by the building being in a Conservation Area so permitted development does not apply to a side extension.

So as I see it provided the new extension has the same floor area as the conservatory so that you are not making the situation any worse and the conservation officer is happy that the new extension will not harm the character of the conservation area it should be approved.

 

[^woody^]

A conservatory is development, and will count againt the allowance of 50% development of the total curtilage (excluding the orginal dwelling house). Remove the conservatory and you will have the area it covered to play with.

The planners were wrong to all it an uplift, that's a nonsense phrase for this.

 

[someonelse]

So what I'm getting from this is that

* removing the conservatory gives me some floor area to build on
* the orangery would need planning permission (local character etc) but provided it is the same size or smaller than the conservatory it would not fall foul of the 50% rule
* if the orangery was smaller than the conservatory I might have some floor area left over and be able to extend the side extension by that amount (subject to approval of the plan itself)

I'll reply to the planner and hope he's still happy to respond on this informal basis....

 

[Leofric]

property has been significantly extended in past so would not comply with 50% uplift in floor area criteria for a householder application in the Green Belt.
Had any other extensions been made to the original house apart from the conservatory ? ' Significantly extended ' suggests there may have been other extensions in the past.
ps I am not familiar with the term 'uplift' being used in this respect.

 

[someonelse]

The original property was built around 1900 I believe.
A single storey rear addition was added in the distant past.
Around 1965 this was made into a double storey.
In 1999 a small side extension was added (with Consent).
In 2001 a porch was added (with Consent).
In 2006 the conservatory was added (with Consent).