Planning Permission

[allenvb]

I am looking to buy a Victorian Property, it has an extension that has been erected for around 35 years. I have had the searches back from the solicitor and it shows that the extension did not receive planning permission. My questions are:

1) As the extension now holds the Kitchen, do I need to get retrospective planning permission?

2) Should i be looking to knock the seller down in price?

3) As the extension has been up for around 35 years, do I need planning permission, or does it now come under part of the 'original house'?

I hope someone can help as I am getting so much different feedback.

V

 

[breezer]

Ask your council planning dept. not us, some one on here may say you dont. council may say you do

 

[brumylad]

35 years, that makes date of build about 1970. I'm pretty sure thats not early enough to be exempt.

How far is the wall of the extension from the nearest boundry (curtillage)

how high is the extension

Is it to the front of the property or the rear

how far is it from the highway.

Really you want to take these measurements, some pictures and take these to the planning dept. of the council.

 

[jiminblack]

Had exactly the same situation when I bought the Victorian property I'm in now. We also have a victorian property.
The house had had a two storey (half width of house) extension dating back to the seventies. This had given the house an extra bedroom and a small galley kitchen.
As you can imagine during the sale there was a hold up due to there not being any planning permission. I went to the local planning office and spoke to one of there planning officers. He said as it's been there so long they wouldn't do anything about it. He said the best thing to do is to get the people you are buying off to supply indemnity insurance which they did.

Hope this helps James

 

[HandyJon]

1) As the extension now holds the Kitchen, do I need to get retrospective planning permission?

Being a kitchen doesn't mean anything. Youi could get retrospective permission, it would make things a lot better for whoever buys the house off you. You don't have to do though.

2) Should i be looking to knock the seller down in price?

That's up to you, though in the negotiation stage of buying a house, anything can be put into the pot, but the sellers can ignore it if they wish to.

3) As the extension has been up for around 35 years, do I need planning permission, or does it now come under part of the 'original house'?

As the extension has been up for more than an year without the council being aware then the previous occupants have got away with it, but not scot free. Your permitted development rights will have been affected (the right to do simple extensions without planning), and the council could still get you if the extesion doesn't meet building regulations which cannot be avoided.

Get your sellers to buy an indemnity insurance which will pay up if there is a problem in the future from the extension. They're very cheap to buy. You wouild need to do the same when you come to sell if you haven't got retrospective pp.

My advice is worth what you paid for it.

 

[Mr Winston]

1) As the extension now holds the Kitchen, do I need to get retrospective planning permission?

Being a kitchen doesn't mean anything. Youi could get retrospective permission, it would make things a lot better for whoever buys the house off you. You don't have to do though.

But it would involve building regs if you changed say a lounge or diner into a kitchen (drainage, ventilation etc)

 

[HandyJon]

true

 

[ss_fraser]

Just get the seller to pay for the indemnity insurance .... your solicitor should be able to advise.

Good negociating tool for the house price..!!

 

[Mr Winston]

and remember that you are highy likely to encounter the same problems when you come to sell (obviously you would be in the sellers shoes and may have buyers pull out of sale or insist on the proper paperwork as what you may be happy to accept may not be acceptable to the next person)