Under the Town and Country Planning Act, permitted development rights allows a homeowner to carry out certain construction works on their property without the need to apply for planning permission. These rights do not apply to flats, maisonettes.

What are you able to build under permitted development?

For a semi-detached or terraced house, you can extend your property at the rear by 3m. For a detached property it's 4m. This distance applies to the original property when it was built, or prior to 1948 for older buildings. This prevents people from extending onto an existing extension.

Loft conversions, front porches, side extensions and some double storey rear extensions are also included. But a number of criteria must be adhered to such as limitations of materials, heights and form. The Government’s technical guide provides detailed information on this.

A Council can impose what is known as an Article 4 directive which removes these rights. This typically happens in a Conservation Area, Area of Outstanding Beauty or a National Park. If your property is listed, then no work can be conducted without permission.

As you can see, whilst permitted development offers the opportunities to carry out works without going through the normal planning process, there are restrictions which, if you break, can lead to an enforcement notice, cause delays to your project or require retrospective planning permission which may not always be easy to achieve. It is always advisable to consult a professional rather than just plugging away. The rules are there to allow for basic works to be done and move forward quickly, but the directions are clear and there’s not a lot of wiggle room around them. Any deviation from the guidelines will require you to submit a planning application.

What is Permitted Development?

Planning Permission and Building Regulations Approvals: What’s Involved?