More and more people these days are turning to home improvement, either as a pastime, a way of improving the aesthetic appeal of their property, or even to add value to their property before they sell it. One of the easiest methods of doing this is to build a new porch. However, before any work begins on installing your new product, it is important to find out if you need planning permission for your porch.
Here at The Porch Specialist, we are delighted to be able to build and supply a wide variety of traditionally handcrafted porch kits to customers across the UK. As experts in the oak and timber construction industry, we have the answers to any questions our customers have, including whether or not you will need planning permission for your porch.
If you are interested in buying and building a porch for your property, but you have questions about whether or not you will need planning permission to build it, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today. We can discuss your requirements and help you to plan out your porch, before you place an order for one of our porch kits.
Factors to Consider When Building a Porch
If you are looking to see if your porch will need planning permission, there are three important factors to consider first:
- The ground floor area where you wish to build the porch
- The height of the porch you want to build
- The porch’s distance from your property boundary and its distance from the highway
These are the factors which determine if you will need planning permission to build a porch onto your house (please contact your local planning authority for regulations for flats, maisonettes and
other buildings). If you already have the measurements prepared for your property’s size, call us and we will do everything we can to get you the porch you want in the dimensions your home needs.
Building a Porch Without Planning Permission
You will not require planning permission for a porch if the porch does not exceed 3m when measured externally, is no more than 3m in height and is not located within 2m of your property boundary and highway.
Getting the correct porch size without planning permission is more usual than needing your order’s measurements changed. If you have checked the measurements for your property and found that you will not need planning permission for your planned porch, contact us today and we can get started on crafting your kit.
When You Will Need Planning Permission to Build a Porch
There are certain circumstances in which planning permission to build a porch is required. This is when the size of the planned porch exceeds 3m when measured externally, 3m in height, or is located within 2m of the property boundary and highway. In these cases, they are considered extensions by themselves and you will have to submit a planning application.
The exception to this rule comes if you choose to build a porch on the side of your house. In this case, as long as you meet the criteria for building a side extension, your planned porch may fall under permitted development. This means that you would not require planning permission.
Building Regulations and Planning Permission for Porches
A porch will not normally need Building Regulation Approval, if it is built at ground level and its floor area is under 3 square metres. This is providing that any glazing or fixed electrical installations already comply with their own sections of the Building Regulations.
For your new porch to be exempt from Building Regulation Approval, you must:
- Make sure the front door of your property remains in place
- Ensure that any disabled access to the property, such as a ramp, is not affected by the installation
Building a Porch on a Listed Building
If your property happens to be a Listed Building, you will have to apply for Listed Building Consent before you can start any sort of work there. This consent applies to all alterations, demolitions or extensions that you wish to add or carry out on any Listed Building that you own. It is a criminal offence to not seek Listed Building Consent when it is required.
For More Information
As a general rule, you will not normally be required to have planning permission to build a porch. However, this may not be the case in specific areas, so if you are in any doubt, contact your local authority. They will be able to provide more succinct information about your individual location, including the local permitted porch size without planning permission and any guidance which relates to specific countries in the UK.
Contact Us
If you have been looking for a porch to complete the look of your home, and only the thought of having to wait for planning permission was stopping you from making your purchase, get in touch with The Porch Specialist today. We can supply you with an oak or timber framed porch kit that can be built at your convenience, at a price which will not hurt your budget.
You will not have to wait to get the product you need, and can have the porch you’ve always wanted in no time at all.
