Dormer window guidlines?

[peca27]

Afternoon all

When looking at a new dormer window on the rear of a dwelling, under PD rights, is there any guidance on the distances from the cheeks to party wall / gable end?

I'm aware of the 200mm to front of dormer along roof line + the cubic allowances etc.....but can you build the cheeks, for example, 600mm in from a party / gable end wall and consider that to be allowable within PD rights as long as the cubic capacity + 200mm from eaves rules are met?

Many thanks

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Practicalities aside, you can go full width if you like unless you have a hip end in which case that would restrict the width. http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/loftconversion/

Bit more here http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/100806_PDforhouseholders_TechnicalGuidance.pdf

 

[peca27]

Thanks for the advice, but that's just the issue........I'm not sure going full width (eg, building the cheeks off the internal leaf of the party wall + liklewise off the gable end wall, with a standard pitched roof) is acceptable.

I had a case of somebody (who met all volume, height + 200mm to eaves requirements) but as they had built off the party wall + gable wall for a full width dormer, planning enforcement came after them saying the size wasn't allowable.

It would be nice to have specific guidance somewhere telling us how far we should step in, b'cos a full width dormer looks awful when compared to a dormer that's in 600mm from either end.

I presume there's no specific guidance / best practice available then? On our local dormer window guidance doc we're told 1m from a boundary is allowable in Planning.......but why nothing when discussing PD rights?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

What happened in the case you refer to?

I have had this very question confirmed to me verbally during a one to one meeting but also have nothing in writing however I suppose it is a bit of a grey area, other than trying to seek written advice from the LA (which would no doubt have the old 'this is only informal advice' tagged to it anyway) you will have to find an appeal that fits the situation (then you can post it on here for the rest of us ) if you want absolute guidance.

In the absence of all that you should advise your clients to apply for a Certificate of Lawful Development informing them of the available guidance and possible consequences and place the responsibility on their shoulders.

 

[jeds]

I'm not aware of any width limits except that you must stay within 200mm of any eaves. I would say you are entiltled to build up to the boundary in just the same way you can with a ground floor extension. Although I agree this might not look best. Of course building off the party wall would also take you into party wall act territory.

 

[10phil79]

I imagine if planners were being stringent, building up the party wall may fall foul of PD since half of the wall is in next doors teritory and not allowable/within you allotted 50 Cublic meters.

will your dormer have timber built, hung tile cheeks or be paripit type walls? the latter would, i imagine, involve raising the full width of the party wall.