Permitted develoment

[akist]

Hello

We have started building a front + side extension to our bungalow, and I have been wanting to add an additional utility/day room for which we have no planning. These two rooms would br tucked onto the side of the house, and would have a flat-ish roof.

I have been reading about permitted development and cannot interpret the 50% rule. It talks about the land around the original house, OK, how do I measure this? Do I measure, say, a rectangle extending 5 metres from each original wall? Or how do I do it?

Many thanks

 

[tony1851]

If your plot is a rectangle, you just measure the lengths of 2 adjacent sides, multiply them, and then deduct the ground area of the house.
But if your utility/day room is being connected to the front + side extension, permitted development might not apply and you might need planning permission.

 

[akist]

Hello, and thank you for the quick reply, my plot is very much larger than the house, around 1700m2 and the original house is around 170m2 , does this mean I could have theoretically built an extension spanning (1700 - 170) / 2 = 765 m2 ?

 

[Nakajo]

Yes

 

[tony1851]

Theoretically, yes, but in practice, no. The smallest possible dimension of your 765 m² extension would be 27.6m (ie a square) which would be well beyond the maximum dimension allowed under PD.

 

[akist]

Thank you again for your advice.

The "unplanned" utility/laundry will be 9.2m x 4m = 37m2 more or less. The original house size about 180m2 excluding garage. The current house size (with the new planned extension but without unplanned utility room) about 250m2 excluding garage.

Do these figures work or we need planning for the utility room?

 

[tony1851]

Look, forget floor areas completely - they are not relevant to your situation. Google DCLG Technical Guidance for Householders - it's all in there.

 

[akist]

Asking here again, supposing we do not tell anyone about the utility room and no one finds out for years and years, as it is invisible from everywhere except helicopter. I just wonder how the system works.

 

[^woody^]

People with such a contemptuous anarchistic attitude should be sent to D-wing to be someone's bitch and violated daily, IMO.

 

[akist]

People with such a contemptuous anarchistic attitude

If you get caught speeding ( or tuning your radio, or texting ), you get your 3 points or your awareness course and you keep on driving even though you might have killed someone with your driving attitude.

I reckon that building an invisible utility room ought to be less harmful to society and therefore I find your comments OTT.

 

[tony1851]

If the council doesn't take action on your invisible utility room within 4 years of it being built, there's nothing it can do.

 

[^woody^]

Don't planners cross reference with the building control list anymore?

Don't the council's still do their annual property updates to make sure that homes in the borough are on the correct council tax bands in the future?

 

[tony1851]

Seemingly not around here they don't...

 

[garyo]

and no one finds out for years and years, as it is invisible from everywhere except helicopter. I just wonder how the system works.

It happens all the time and I think it's beautifully self regulating for the reason Tony gives.. If no one has noticed or complained in 4 years then no harm done. Save the tax payer a few quid by not bothering with the bureaucracy if you feel secure in doing so.