If you are interested in renovating your home, it’s likely that you will need to get at least some kind of permission from a local authority before you proceed and make changes. There are two major types of permission that you’ll need to be aware of. If you are extending your home, you may need to apply for both of these. The two main kinds of permission you may need if you’re altering your home are Building Regulations and Planning Permission.
If you’ve been wondering “What are the planning and building regulations?”, read on. Perhaps you have been planning loft conversions in Scunthorpe or Grimsby? Then it’s very important to find out what your obligations are before you go ahead. If you proceed with a project without getting the necessary permission, you may find yourself spending a great deal of time and money putting things right.
What are building regulations?
Building regulations tell you what the minimum standards for design and constriction are to ensure any work is being carried out correctly. These regulations include safety standards for the construction of many parts of your home. These can include chimneys, staircases, boilers and access facilities. You may need building regulation approval whether you’re carrying out internal or external work on your home.
What is planning permission?
Planning permission is more concerned about the external appearance of buildings. If you are making changes to the outside of your home, these changes should be in keeping with the wider environment. One of the main purposes of planning permission is to ensure changes you’re making to your home don’t look substantially out of step with the environment around it. You need to submit applications for building regulation approval and planning permission before you make changes to your home. You will normally need to apply to your local council. If you proceed without obtaining permission, you could be fined and be told to reverse the changes.
How do I apply for building regulations approval?
Before building work begins, you, your builder, surveyor or architect will need to submit your plans to the building control department at your local council. Alternatively, you may need to submit them via the buildings notice procedure. When your application is being considered, several factors will be assessed. These may include the structural stability of the building and whether you have sufficient fire safety measures in place. The building needs to be water and weather tight. Sufficient sound insulation between buildings must be in place.
How can I get planning permission?
If you are altering the external appearance of your home, you will need to get planning permission before making changes. There are several different types of planning permission. Your builder or architect should tell you which kind of permission you need to apply for.
Types of planning permission
There are several types of planning permission that you might need to apply for when making changes to your home. Let’s take a look at some of the main forms of planning permission.
Householder Planning Consent: You will normally need this for extensions, loft conversions, garages, outbuildings and conservatories.
Full Planning Consent: If you are changing the number of dwellings on a site or what you’re using a property for, you may require this kind of planning permission.
Outline Planning Consent: This kind of planning permission is ideal for those that want to know if their plans are likely to be approved in principal before they start spending substantial sums on new projects.
Planning Permission in a Conservation Area: You will need to apply for this if your building is located in a conservation area and plan to demolish anything.
Listed Building Consent: If your property is deemed to be of national or historical importance, you may need to meet additional conditions before you can start any work.
Lawful Development Certificate: If you’re not quite sure whether your plans are lawful or if you need planning permission, you can apply for an LDC to put your mind at rest.
Retrospective Planning Permission: Perhaps you have already made changes to a property without getting planning permission first? If so, you may still be able to get approval after making a retrospective planning application.
What are the key differences between building regulations and planning permission?
Planning permission generally focuses on ensuring that land is being used correctly. It ensures that the scale and appearance of your project are in keeping with what’s located in the wider area. Planning permission also aims to keep conflict between neighbours to a minimum. It also aims to minimise whilst ensuring there is no negative environmental impact linked to your changes.
Building regulations are largely about safety concerns. Key factors that are considered when building regulation applications are assessed include means of escape, structural stability, fire safety, sound insulation, weather resistance, energy conservation and access for all users of a building. Many people need to apply for both types of approval when making changes to their properties. However, you’ll need to apply for them separately if this is the case. Hopefully, things will now seem a lot clearer if you have been wondering “What are the Planning and building regulations?”.
How High & Dry Renovations can help
We are here to help if you want to make changes to your home and need to find out if your plans are likely to be approved. We specialise in loft conversions in Grimsby and Scunthorpe alongside many other types of home improvement.
Contact us
Now that you know what are the planning and building regulations, why wait any longer to get in touch with our team? You can reach us by giving us a call on 01652 808 049 (Brigg), 01724 646 035 (Scunthorpe) or 01472 565 074 (Grimsby). Alternatively, you can complete the short form on our website. We’ll get back to you as quickly as we possibly can.