Looking at building a concrete garage, needs planning as its a national park area and it will be partly forward of the front elevation of the house.

So, is it easy to apply yourself? Garage company can supply technical drawings of the garage, I’d just need to get the location and site plans sorted.

How detailed and accurate does site plan need to be though? From what I can see on the websites selling them they just have an outline of your house and boundaries. Do I just draw a rectangle the correct size and in the spot I want the garage?

Any tips / things to watch out for? And if its best to get someone to do it for me, who do i approach. We haven’t got an architect or similar as we are just buying a prefab concrete garage direct from the manufacturers

Cheers

If you don’t know anyone who can use AutoCad, just draw it out on graph paper to scale with dimensions and scan it in. As long as you show the location to you existing house/garden accurately and you submit the garage company drawings all should be good.

If your Local Authority Planning Department have a informal service, go and see them to see what you need to do. If not, there are enough guides to get you through. The submission requirements will vary depending on the circumstances of your property. You can get useful online help from the Planning Portal.

Yep very easy, done it twice now.

Do I just draw a rectangle the correct size and in the spot I want the garage?

Basically yes, I did all mine in Power Point in about 10 minutes.

It’s easy to apply, the hard bit is getting permission.

Best thing is to do the most research you can, so if you know there is an issue then work out how to get through.

OP – sent you a copy of my last submission via email.

Best thing is to do the most research you can, so if you know there is an issue then work out how to get through.

Or give them a ring and ask them about what you want to do and what issues they can for-see, that way you can address anything in your submission.

Cheers footflaps, I think I could do the site plan OK after seeing yours.

Is there any free online design program to get a more professional look than graph paper?

Although it would probably be quicker using graph paper by the time I’ve learnt how to use some new program!

Just use graph paper, it really doesn’t matter as long as it’s (roughly) to scale.

Have a look on the council website. They should have approved plans to give you an idea. It doesn’t need to be perfect but there is a list of things that need to be on there.

Draftsight is a great program for plans but might be a bit of a learning curve. Hand drawn is fine if you do it neatly

Another question!

The concrete garages are a bit ugly so in my application I was going to say it will be rendered and part clad in slate block slips to make it match the house better.

If I get approval is there a time limit from when I start (ie when garage is built by the manufacturers assembly guys) to when it’s finished (ie rendered and clad by me). I mean can I drag the rendering and cladding bit out for a few months? A year?

Drag it out for as long as you like. They might try and enforce it but it’s unlikely unless a neighbour complains and even then it’ll be ages.

Think planning permission last’s about 5 years or so, but once you start work i don’t think there’s a time limit. If there is it’ll be a fair few years.

Three years now.

Three years as above. One you have made a ‘material start’ (foundations will do) it lasts in perpetuity.

I would imagine that they will want elevations showing the areas of render and slate too, so you might have to trace something over the manufacturer’s drawings.