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Planning permission for England, Scotland & Wales
England
Source - https://www.mygov.scot/build-shed-garage-greenhouse/
Rules governing outbuildings apply to sheds, greenhouses and garages as well as other ancillary garden buildings such as swimming pools, ponds, sauna cabins, kennels, enclosures (including tennis courts) and many other kinds of structure for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse.
Other rules relate to the installation of a satellite dish, the erection of a new dwelling or the erection or provision of fuel storage tanks.
Outbuildings are considered to be permitted development, not needing planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:
- No outbuilding on land forward of a wall forming the principal elevation.
- Outbuildings and garages to be single storey with maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of four metres with a dual pitched roof or three metres for any other roof.
- Maximum height of 2.5 metres in the case of a building, enclosure or container within two metres of a boundary of the curtilage of the dwellinghouse.
- No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
- No more than half the area of land around the "original house"* would be covered by additions or other buildings.
- In National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites the maximum area to be covered by buildings, enclosures, containers and pools more than 20 metres from house to be limited to 10 square metres.
- On designated land* buildings, enclosures, containers and pools at the side of properties will require planning permission.
- Within the curtilage of listed buildings any outbuilding will require planning permission.
*The term "original house" means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.
*Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.
Scotland
Last updated: 26 February 2018
If you own a home, you may want to add a shed, garage, greenhouse or other building. These are known as 'ancillary buildings'.
Permitted development
Source - https://www.mygov.scot/build-shed-garage-greenhouse/
Before you do this you should first check if you need to apply for planning permission.
Most ancillary buildings don't need a planning permission application, because most meet a set of rules called 'permitted development'.
The permitted development rules for an ancillary building are:
- it's located at the back of the house
- it isn't used as a separate home to live in
- it doesn't take up half the 'curtilage' – this means half of the grounds behind your home
- it isn't higher than 4 metres
- any part that's a metre or less from the boundary is no higher than 2.5 metres
- the eaves (the part where the wall meets the roof) is no higher than 3 metres
- if the land is in a conservation area or in the grounds of a listed building, the ancillary building has a footprint of less than 4 square metres
Wales
Source - https://www.planningportal.co.uk/wales_en/info/3/common_projects/34/outbuildings
Outbuildings are considered to be permitted development, not needing planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:
Siting
- The total area of ground covered by outbuildings cannot exceed 50% of the total area of the curtilage
- Outbuildings cannot be located in front of the building line of the principal elevation
- Outbuildings cannot extend beyond the side elevation of the house when the development would be any closer to a highway than the existing house, or at least 5 metres from the highway – whichever is nearest
- Any part of the development within 2 metres of a boundary of the house cannot exceed a height of 2.5 metres
- Any part of the development within 2 metres of the house cannot exceed a height of 1.5 metres
Height
- Outbuildings cannot exceed more than one storey
- The height of an outbuilding cannot exceed 4 metres when the building has more than one pitch (eg dual pitch and hipped roofs)
- The height cannot exceed 3 metres when the building has a single pitch or other roof form
- Flat roof buildings cannot exceed 2.5 metres in height
- Eaves height of the building cannot exceed 2.5m
Listed buildings
You will need to apply for planning permission for construction of, or amendments to, any outbuildings within the curtilage of a listed building