Planning Permission for new window openings?

[ralamantis]

I know this has been asked before, but from my searches on this site and others I still havent found a definitive answer. Im converting the attached garage of my bungalow into a habital room and to achieve this I want new window openings, but Im not sure if I need Planning Permission to do this or not. On the Planning Portal website it clearly says that new windows come under Permitted Development, but some of the builders that have been round to quote for the job have said that I will need Planning Permission. When I first contacted my local council they said that whole conversion can be done under a Building Notice (which I've done) and now they tell me to get a Lawful Development Certificate to get the answer I need about the new windows, which I simply see as another way for them to get more money from me!

What I am wanting to do is put in long thin windows (marked in red on the image below) on the road facing side of the garage just to let in light and a full size window on the other side which only overlooks my garden. I am also thinking of putting in two skylights on both sides of the roof (marked in blue) and of course blocking up the garage door (marked in yellow... incase it wasn't obviouse).

Untitled

• ralamantis
• 6 Mar 2014
• 1

So can I do this without Planning Permission and just make sure the work meets Building Regulations?

 

[rjm2k]

It all depends on your property, the conversion itself and the windows may be possible under permitted IF your property retains PD rights.

Your deeds, or the council will provide information on what PD rights have been removed.

A building notice is for building regs, which is different to planning permission and you will need BR whether or not you need PP.

A lawful development certificate application should tell you if what you want to do is permitted under PD (assuming your council bothers to interpret things correctly).

 

[ralamantis]

Thanks for the reply rjm2k. When PD rights are removed by a local concil they issue an Article 4 direction right? Having looked on an interavtive map that shows areas where an Article 4 direction has been issued, the area where I live is completely clear so I assume that means I am clear to go ahead with my plans?

 

[rjm2k]

Not that simple, they can also revoke rights in a planing approval and councils very often do this for modern estates.

In that case there would have been an approval for the estate as a whole, which would have statements like "not withstanding section blah blah of the GDPO"

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Not that simple, they can also revoke rights in a planing approval and councils very often do this for modern estates.

They also allow developers to build whole estates with gardens a fraction of the size which they tell me I must leave intact if I want outbuildings in mine.

I do sometimes wonder who they think will want 5 bedroom houses with tiny gardens.

 

[cjard]

Not that simple, they can also revoke rights in a planing approval and councils very often do this for modern estates.

They also allow developers to build whole estates with gardens a fraction of the size which they tell me I must leave intact if I want outbuildings in mine.

I do sometimes wonder who they think will want 5 bedroom houses with tiny gardens.

Hear here; my planners said that every bedroom in my house had to have not only natural light, but a view. A local large scale development has plenty of bedrooms whose only view is the sky, or a gable wall of a neighbour..

Ralamantis, look at the planning permission your house was granted when built. If it contains wording similar to "Notwithstanding the provisions of the GPDO, no blahbah shall be erected"
Which essentially means "regardless of the fact that an act exists to let you build blahblah, you will not build blahblah without permission"

It's a crock, of course - PD rights were established for a reason, and central governments intention to let people have them is now routinely undermined by local councils slapping these on practically everything they pass. It works against them in some senses because it makes for them a load of work for which they cannot charge a fee (they cannot take away your PD rights and then demand that you pay for any application that is noly necessary because they took away those rights).
If everyone in the country who had these restrictions put in one application a month for random **** like "I want to paint my fence blue" and then the next month "pink" or "I want a shed here", and then "no.. I want it there.."", "no, there..." then the planning system would pretty soon grind to a halt and councils would be forced stop doing this crap on every application that passes under their nose