General Guides

General guide to current planning regulations

Many types of buildings and structures can be erected in your garden or on the land around your house without the need to apply for planning permission. These include sheds, garages, greenhouses, accommodation for pets and domestic animals, summerhouses, sauna cabins and enclosurses (including tennis courts).

you MUST apply for planning permission if any of the following apply:

• The proposed building or structure would be closer to a highway than any part of the existing dwelling house, unless the new building is at least 20 metres from a highway. The term highway includes public roads, footpaths, bridleways and byways and is less than 5 metres from dwelling.
• More than half the area of land around the existing dwelling would be covered by additions or other buildings.
• The proposed building or structure would be used not for domestic purposes but instead, for example, for parking a commercial vehicle, running a business or storing goods in connection with a business.
• The building or structure would be more than 4 metres high if it has a ridge root (measure from the highest ground adjoinging the site).

This is a general guideline and may not apply if the proposed buildings is in an Area of Outstanding natural Beauty or if the existing property is listed. Further advice can be sought through local planning authorities

General guide to building regulations

This building is generally exempt from Building Regulations by virtue of Regulation 9 Schedule 2 Class IV, provided it does not exceed 30 square metres in the floor area and is situated more than 1 metre from the boundary of its curtilage.

Our two-bay buildings have a useable floor area of approximately 29.72 square metres (the exact dimensions depend on the choice of bricks) and an overall height of 3.95 metres.