Woody’s Tips – no: 1
In many cases, a garden office can be built without you making a Planning Permission application, but every case is different, and it is no good relying on garden office suppliers websites that boldly say ‘Planning Permission not required’. As for whether you will need to apply for Planning Permission will depend on where you live, the garden office you plan to build, where you plan to site it, existing extensions made to your house and other outbuildings you have, and how you plan to use your office.
A good garden office designer will be able to advise you on your individual position during their site visit, once they have ascertained what you plan to build, how you intended to use the office and assessed your garden. But, at the end of the day, Planning Permission is your responsibility as the homeowner, and you need to be abreast of your individual position.
Don’t be fearful of Planning Permission
Don’t be fearful of Planning Permission if you do need to make an application. Often your supplier will handle the process for you, if you find you need to handle the application yourself, your supplier should provide you with all the drawings and specification details you need to complete the forms with ease. Luckily, the vast majority of applications made for garden office buildings are successful.
It’s likely you can build under Permitted Development
The majority of garden offices built each year are built under the Permitted Development rules. If you find that you don’t need to make a full Planning Application, then you will need to follow the Permitted Development rules.
Permitted Development is a series of rules that dictate the height and position of a garden office building. We have created a visual guide showing these rules, which you may find useful.
The majority of garden offices are designed to easily comply with the Permitted Development rules.