Permitted development confusement

[festive]

Hi hope this should be a simple one.

We have moved to a new house with larger plot of land 50% woodland.

I am looking at adding the following to our property

A Gym/office wooden building sitting on a concrete base (25m2)

A new shed (5m2)

Extension on bungalow which has no current planning logged when i checked on planning portal for Dorset. Extension will be approx 35% increase in footprint and doesn't increase roof height and or 2m of boundary etc.

q1) Will the gym/office affect planning for our extension if i just go ahead and build that under PD? Or will this affect how much i can then extend the house after?

We do not live on green belt or any other special covenants here.

q2) does i matter where i build gym/office and shed can i build in woodland?

TIA

 

[GeoffJ]

You need to clarify if the house, garden and woodland form a single curtliage. Or it is a house and garden that forms the curtliage, and you happen to also own the woodland?

If it is the latter then you might well be restricted to builds that support the undeveloped nature of the woodland. - so that would be a no to a conventional office or gym.

 

[festive]

HI Geoff many thanks for your response. OK reading definition of curtilage i am still struggling to ascertain what is what!

QUOTE - In urban properties, the location of the curtilage may be evident from the position of fences, wall and similar; within larger properties it may be a matter of some legal debate as to where the private area ends and the "open fields" start.

Our whole property is marked by a perimeter fence to the adjacent farm land

The woodland doesn't immediately surround the house. Lawn slowly blends out from grass into rough land and then trees start, no trees on lawn area or actually in main lawn of back garden. Does that help?

When you say no to office or gym in woodland i could build in garden, and if i do, will that affect how big i can extend the house?

 

[^woody^]

You need to find out from your planning dept whether all the land is residential garden, or if it's classed as part garden part something else. And check what planning conditions exist on the property.

You can build what you like and where you like on residential garden land subject to PD rules.

 

[GeoffJ]

Perimeter fences can be removed - and even then the original curtliage is deemed to continue.

Things that may indicate the extent of the curtliage are:-

• Do you have 1 set of deeds that includes the house, garden and woodland? or two sets of deeds
  
• Can you access the original planning permission for the house - the curtliage for your dwelling is normally marked on the plans
  
• Can you access the land registry entry for your dwelling? this will may indicate if the curliage in just the house and garden
• Often the boundaries between residential and farmland/woods etc are marked o na map contained within your local council development map

As woody says, if the woodland is deemed to be residential (ie within your curtliage) then you can do almost anything under under PD or with a planning permission. If the woodland is not designated residential then you are likely to struggle to build anything more than a stable, or a tool shed.