Fast Track Approval To Extend Your Home
Anyone who has tried to expand a family home will know that trying to obtain planning permission can be a minefield.
Up until recently, drawing up plans that the local council are happy with wasn't bad enough, you also had the negotiation with neighbours as you looked to overcome their objections. Now, due to planning laws that came into force last year, adding a bedroom or conservatory has become much easier.
Introduced last August, a new law offered homeowners the ability to supersize their home by adding two extra floors without what were strict planning permissions.
Prior to August 2020, planning laws prevented homeowners from extending properties above a certain height, depending on the size and type of the property. The move is part of an overhaul of the UK's seven decades old planning system to make it easier for people to extend their homes to accommodate growing families.
However, in some areas such as London, there are still limits to what can be built. The rules only apply to detached homes and those built between 1948 and 2018 which leaves out hundreds of thousands of people living in red brick terraces, top floor flats or new build homes. Homes in conservation areas are also excluded.
The new rules will mean that extensions can either be part of the main home or become a self contained property, such as an annexe.
This is part of the government's plan to deliver more homes and revitalise town centres whilst attempting to reduce the pressure to build on greenfield sites.
Under the old planning rules, permission could take between eight and sixteen weeks to be considered and allowed neighbours to formally object to plans if they wished. Under the reforms, homeowners will be able to apply to extend their properties through a "fast-track approval service" with a response targeted to be within eight weeks.
Councils will still have a say in turning down block developments but the reasons for refusal are limited to issues such as traffic congestion, flood risk or noise pollution. Properties will also still be required to meet building regulations and health and safety standards.
