Outbuildings are considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided all the conditions are met. These apply to sheds, greenhouses and garages as well as other ancillary garden buildings such as garden rooms, home offices, 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 dwelling house. This includes a container used for domestic heating oil or petroleum gas. The phrase ‘Incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling house’ includes the keeping of poultry, bees, pet animals, birds or other livestock for the domestic needs or personal enjoyment of the occupants of the house.
The rules are
- On designated land* outbuildings to the side of the house are not permitted development.* Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.
- Outbuildings are not permitted development within the grounds of a listed building.
- In national parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites the total area to be covered by any outbuildings more than 20 metres from ANY WALL of the house must not exceed 10 square metres to be permitted development.
- Outbuildings are not permitted development forward of the principal elevation of the original house.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).
- Outbuildings and other additions must not exceed 50% of the total area of land around the original house. Sheds and all other outbuildings (see intro) and extensions to the original house must be included when calculating this 50% limit.
- To be permitted development, any new building must not itself be separate, self-contained, living accommodation and must not have a microwave antenna.
- Outbuildings must be single storey with a maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of 4 metres with a dual pitched roof, or 3 metres in any other case.
- If the outbuilding is within 2 metres of the property boundary the whole building should not exceed 2.5 metres in height.
- Balconies and verandas are not permitted development. Raised platforms such as decking are permitted development provided they are no higher than 300mm
- Containers, such as those used for domestic heating purposes, must not exceed 3,500 litres capacity to be permitted development. The other permitted development conditions which apply to outbuildings listed above also apply to containers.
