Permitted Development Rights for Larger Home Extensions now permanent

Posted By Jon Sewell-Rutter

May 29th, 2019

Changes in planning legislation this month are touted to simplify the process of extending homes, and is a move likely to be welcomed by homeowners and growing families alike, across the UK.

Under The Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development, Advertisement and Compensation Amendments) (England) Regulations 2019 enacted this month, Regulation 4 makes permanent the existing temporary right to enlarge a detached dwellinghouse by up to 8 metres, or by 6 metres in the case of a semi-detached dwellinghouse.  This was previously permitted by Class A of Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the General Permitted Development Order, but in order to comply, works had to be completed by 30th May 2019.  The 2019 regulation removes this limiting date, offering greater flexibility to applicants.

Kit Malthouse, the Government Housing minister said that the new legislation will help families extend their properties without battling through ’time-consuming red tape’.  ’By making this permitted development right permanent, it will mean families can grow without being forced to move,’ he said.

Dwell has previously used the Larger Home Extension permitted development rights to best effect in overcoming a troublesome planning refusal by Wealden District Council.  The Council considered that the contemporary extension proposed was an inappropriate addition to the property.  Rather than appealing the decision and waiting the 12 months that the appeal process can take, by tweaking the design and submitting for Prior Approval instead of householder planning consent, Dwell gained permission from the Council for the modern scheme below.

To benefit from the Larger Home Extension legislation, an application for Prior Approval will still need to be made to the Local Planning Authority.  Contact us to find out more.