I have a garage at the side of my house, set back about 6 or 7 feet from the front of the house. The flat roof of the garage extends to the front of the house though (and there’s an external door at the side of the house in the space between the front of the house and the garage).

I’d like to use that space to create a utility room (which means more space for bikes in the garage 🙂 ) but I’m not really clear whether it would be permitted development ( – there’s already the roof obviously but I expect that this doesn’t count as a structure should I then close it off. My neighbour’s house is in line with mine and currently makes up the one of the walls of what would be come the new room (eg one of the garage walls is my neighbour’s house)

The house has already been extended a fair bit (extension at side plus conservatory, both which needed and had planning permission though some time ago).

Hopefully the pic below shows what I’d like to do – the crosshatched section with the arrow pointing to it is the bit I want to close in to form the utilty room (I am assuming that the new wall would not go quite all the way to the front of the house to avoid falling foul of rules preventing development in front of the existing house)

Anyone have any thoughts on whether this is likely to be something that would need planning permission (and if so, would it be likely to get it)? The interactive guide doesn’t seem very clear on this situation.

Reading this it wouldn’t fall foul of any of the requirements as I understand them.
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/extensions

(I know it’d need building regs approval)

It could be PD as a side extension but that would depend on existing extensions. You can extend sideways up to 50% of the width of the original house (as it was when built or the n 1948).

A plan showing original building and existing extensions would help.

Looks as if someone has broken in. I can see them looking out the upstairs window. They’re probably helping themselves to your cycling jerseys.

Obviously you need your neighbours permission to use their wall.

Shouldn’t you be using smokeless fuel? Tut tut…

Probably best to get the local planning office round to have a look. I’d be very surprised if you weren’t able to get it, and even to apply for permission.
But its their job to inspect stuff like this, so get them on it.

nick – The house looks like the pic above but with a side two storey extension (which would be close to 50% of the original width of the house not including the garage) that is the same depth as the house (eg adds approx 50% to the original footprint of the house, less garage) plus a further (fairly large) conservatory out of the side of the extension which would probably equate to doubling the original width overall (again, assuming you don’t include the garage though that was part of the original build)

irbandito – I guess I’m just trying to avoid wasting time on it if it’s going to be overly complex or cost loads to get plans, etc together.

And I should maybe add that we had a builder round – well, he was there to install Sky but apparently is a builder too – and he told us it’d cost loads because we’d need drawings, etc to apply for planning because we’ve already extended but this doesn’t really seem to match what the planning portal says.

What does your architect say?

pay me lots of money

🙂

It’s fine to submit hand drawn plans if they are needed. Might be best to take a little more time and care than on the first edition.

That’s good to know. I’ll have to dust off the CAD skills 🙂

Planning just need to know what it will look like, including finishes and how big it will be.

Just take some reasonably accurate measurements, sit down with a calculator and figure out if it can be PD.

I don’t think that the size/volume will be an issue. It’s really the structural (eg am I allowed to make that specific change) changes that I think will be the issue.

AFAIR, there are no permitted development rights for building frontages. You will need planning.

Would it actually be the front though – it wouldn’t be level with the front of the house and so it ‘should’ count as a side extension.

It should come under PD as long as:
– your previous extensions don’t take up more than 50% of the plot around the “original” house (defined as it was pre-1950s)
– the previous planning permissions didn’t include conditions that took away your permitted development rights
– you don’t go forward of the existing front elevation

But the safest option would be to phone the LPA and have a chat about it. Most offer free pre-app advice for householder applications.

Would you be upgrading it to proper internal room condition e.g. heated (and have you already converted the garage)? If not and you’re just chucking a couple of basic walls up it’s no different to putting a shed up in your garden… If it’s unheated and you’re not planning to run any power sockets out to it then you probably won’t even need building control.

It’d be a utility room so it’ll be a ‘proper room’ with washing machine and tumble drier, particularly as we ideally want clothes to be able to dry in there during winter (ie not have to use the tumble drier)

We meet all the conditions you listed