Permitted development rights change becomes permanent
Following their introduction in 2013, permitted development rights that allow homeowners in England to extend their properties without the need for a full planning application will now be made permanent.
Permitted development rights mean that, instead of a full planning application, homeowners will only need to provide evidence that they’ve considered the impact on their neighbours. With the new regulations, prospective developers can build a single-storey rear extension on a property of up to six metres for terraced or semi-detached homes, extending to eight metres for detached homes. Homeowners will still need to notify their local planning authority regarding any proposed changes and, depending on the size of an extension, they may still be required to hold an official neighbour consultation. This is great news for homeowners who now hold fewer obstacles to overcome when they want to do significant work on their property.
For example, a young couple are living with family and don’t have the funds to get onto the property ladder, so they want to build a living space behind the current property. With the old rules they would have required planning permission, but the new regulations will streamline the process. The impact of these rules in their temporary period has been significant; over 110,000 extensions have been completed since 2014 in the UK.
In addition, new legislation has come in to benefit commercial properties; businesses can change the use of a property without planning permission. This means that if an insurance company moved into a property where a clothes shop used to be, the building could be changed into office space without the need for a full planning application. These rules will also allow commercial premises to be temporarily changed into community services such as a public hall.
If these new rules have got you thinking about extending your property, or perhaps you were already considering a change, contact our property finance team today to discuss how we could help kickstart your next project.
Contact us by email at hello@wp1www.kuflink.com or by phone on 01474 33 44 88
