Builders in Ashford, Kent

Improvements: What you can do

Build a porch.
Carry out internal alterations.
Convert and occupy the loft space.
Install microgeneration equipment (apart from wind turbines).
Install satellite dishes.
Erect antenna.
Put in rooflights or dormer windows.
Put in new doors or windows.
Extend the back of your home.
* All subject to design constraints; e.g. porch has to be less than 3m2

Extensions: What you can do

You can extend a dwelling by 4m to the rear if it’s single storey or 3m if it’s double.
There are height restrictions but they boil down to a single storey extension not being higher than 4m in height to the ridge and the eaves, and ridge heights of any extension not being higher than the existing property.
Two storey extensions must not be closer than 7m to the rear boundary.
It must be built in the same or similar material to the existing dwelling.
Extensions must not go forward of the building line of the original dwelling.
Side extensions must be single storey, maximum height of 4m and a width no more than half of the original building.
In Designated Areas side extensions require planning permission and all rear extensions must be single storey.
An extension must not result in more than half the garden being covered.
You can only do it once and the original building is either as it was on 1st July 1948 or when it was built. In Northern Ireland it is as it was built or as it was on 1st October 1973.
 

Outbuildings: What you can do

You can construct all sorts of outbuildings for the use and enjoyment of the home so long as they do not cover more than 50% of the garden space. In Scotland this is reduced to 30%.
In Wales and Northern Ireland any outbuildings closer to the house than 5m count as extensions. In Scotland any outbuildings larger than 4m2 and closer to the dwelling than 5m count as extensions.
Outbuildings must be single storey with a maximum ridge height of 4m for a pitched roof or 3m for any other kind of roof. The eaves height must be no more than 2.5 metres.
If the outbuilding is closer to the boundary than 2m it shall be no higher than 2.5m.
No outbuilding can be forward of the original dwelling. In Wales and Northern Ireland the same applies unless the resulting building would be more than 20m from the road.
How it works

PD rights apply only to a ‘private dwelling house’ as originally constructed, or as the dwelling stood at a certain point in time, usually 1st April 1948 when the first Town and Country Planning Act came in, but sometimes a later date decided by each local authority. Flats are excluded, as are listed buildings, whilst properties in Designated Areas, such as Conservation Areas, green belt, National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and The Broads have restrictions on their PD rights.

PD rights can be applied as often as you like, but the total allowances for extensions can only be used up once and are then exhausted. PD rights can also be withdrawn or modified by a condition within a planning consent, known as an Article 3 Restriction. They can also be withdrawn by means of what is known as an Article 4 Direction issued by the local authority. This can relate to a single dwelling, a street or a whole area and is often, although not necessarily, used in Conservation Areas. An Article 4 Direction currently has to be ratified by the Secretary of State.

If, therefore, you are buying an existing dwelling, it is incumbent upon you to investigate what if any PD rights have been used up or whether or not they have been modified or withdrawn. Even where a house can no longer be extended, it may be possible to erect outbuildings within the residential curtilage. Whilst it is not possible to construct sleeping accommodation as an outbuilding under PD without express planning permission, it is possible to utilise an existing outbuilding for sleeping accommodation so long as any such accommodation is for the use and enjoyment of the home as a single dwelling.

Interestingly, if an outbuilding was constructed for another purpose, such as a gym with perhaps a shower and kitchenette, once it had been established for that use it would become an existing outbuilding and, as such, could be converted to sleeping accommodation under PD.

Although express planning permission is not required for development covered by PD rights, Building Regulations approval may well be necessary in many cases. This is, however, largely objective, so contact your local authority for advice.