Partial Loft Conversion - Permitted Development or not

[FresnoBob]

Hi everyone, a quick one for you....

I'm looking to make my loft into a more useable space for storage.

If I was to partially convert my loft, replacing the current wooden W shaped truss arrangement with beams/purlins, and putting thicker floor joists in and new chipboard flooring, would this be classed as a permitted development, or with the room being non habitable (no insulation, proper electrics, stairway, windows etc), would it leave my permitted development allowance free to put up an extension/conservatory at a later date?

Thanks.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Loft conversions or the work you intend to carry out, does not normally require planning.
The alterations to the roof would be something building controls should be contacted about.
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/loftconversion

 

[FresnoBob]

Hi there, yeah I appreciate it'll need Building Control to take a ganders,

I'm just wondering if it's purely structural, with no electrics/insulation/stairs/windows whether it would eat into our Permitted Development allowance, or not if it was kept purely as a storage area. We're looking to do a ground floor extension (as a permitted development) at some point over the next year or two you see.

Currently we can't use a great deal of the space. We can use some of the space down the middle, but access to the sides is almost impossible due to the trusses being fastended together with diagnal pieces of wood....so you have to do some serious yoga to get into the sides. I also don't feel confident that the joists would stand up to anything weighty being put on them.

It would be nice to be able to upgrade the structure so that the whole floorspace could be used for safe storage, but also in such a way that we could continue with it and convert it into a compliant room at some point in the distant future.

Just to clarify (before anyone points it out lol), I'm not trying to make a habitable room of any description at this point in time. I've been clearing the junk out from the loft this week, and I've been thinking how on earth we got some of it up there and how the joists have managed to hold some of it. It would be nice to make the area useable, but without throwing money away if we can do something which could be continued at at later date and finished as a compliant room in the distant future.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

If you are not at this time altering the footprint of your property and the work is purely internal and the property is not protected graded buillding etc..
Any other work is going to be a building controls issue, regarding the structural alterations.
Of course further down the line, when you go a head with your extension plans, that will be different kettle of fish and there is always a chance that the regulations on PP and BR could have changed by then.