Planning - how many bedrooms?

[garyo]

The typical planning applications that I peruse label various bedrooms, reception rooms, and studies. One man's study is another man's bedroom or dressing room. Other than (perhaps) parking spaces, does it matter?

I'm thinking in terms of council tax reviews (I had one of those on my previous house after we'd built an extension) but I wonder if there's some other driver that causes the designers to label the rooms so fastidiously?

Accepted, the better you can describe your use of the space, the better your chance of you appealing to the warm cuddly empathy of the planner. Is there any other reason?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Generally rooms upstairs are bedrooms and rooms downstairs are not. It's only really relevant in new build housing. Council tax reviews are not that common are they?

 

[garyo]

Council tax reviews are not that common are they?

I wouldn't know, other than my last house being flagged for review. No idea how frequent that is though and they never actually got around to doing it so... sleeping dogs.

 

[unclebob1]

From an insurance pov, i was once told by a company, if it had a fixed bed in it, it was a bedroom, if it didnt it was some other room...

 

[^woody^]

Generally rooms upstairs are bedrooms and rooms downstairs are not

How does that work with bungalows and flats?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Generally

 

[eddieed]

Generally rooms upstairs are bedrooms and rooms downstairs are not. It's only really relevant in new build housing. Council tax reviews are not that common are they?

Council Tax reviews are only normally done when a property is sold - unless you have knocked it down and started again.

My old house was Band C when we sold it it is now Band D. Should we have stayed there forever it would have forever remained Band C.

Our New House is Band E - (a 2 bed bungalow) when we extend it and turn it into a house it is highly likely it will remain Band E until we sell it.

 

[garyo]

Council Tax reviews are only normally done when a property is sold

Ah that makes sense. I was aware it'd been flagged for review by the council, but nothing ever came of it. So perhaps that's now happened now that it's been sold.

 

[OwainDIYer]

As you say, parking spaces, and also perhaps the density of housing/population in an area with the impact on public transport, schools etc.

Planners do also expect to see bedrooms that can accommodate one bed, one chest of drawers, and one wardrobe/cupboard, so awkward spaces with not enough long wall to put a bed against will get labelled a study. Dressing rooms, I think, can be internal to the bedroom so don't require hall/landing access for means of escape, so that's another use for awkward space.

 

[Nakajo]

Beyond compliance with policy, Planners have no interest in the matter