Alterations

Do I require permission for a garage?

You will not require permission if the garage is more than 5 metres from your house, unless you live in a listed building. You must, however, comply with Rules L - O below.

Note 7 - A garage will be treated as an extension and Rules A - F in Section 1,
“Building an Extension” will apply if -

i. your house is in a Conservation Area; or,

ii. the garage is to be within 5 metres of your house (see Note 3).

Otherwise Rules L - O apply (see Illustration 6).

Rule L. The garage must be used for domestic purposes only.

Rule M. No part of the garage should be nearer to any road than the part of the original house nearest to the road.

Rule N. The height of the garage must not be more than 4 metres high if it has a ridged roof, or 3 metres in any other case.

Rule O. The ground area covered by the garage and any other buildings within the boundary of the property (excluding the original house) must not be more than half the total area.

Do I require permission for a carport?

You will not require permission, provided you can comply with the Rules for building a garage. Note 1 also applies and is calculated using imaginary walls

Illustration 6
Building a Garage or Car Port

Do I require permission for a hard standing for my car?

You will not require permission, provided that your car is used as a private vehicle and the hard standing does not involve the construction or alteration of an access to a trunk or classified road or might cause an obstruction to other road users near a junction, bend or crest.

Do I require permission for an access to the road?

Yes you will require planning permission, unless the new access is to an unclassified road and it is to serve “permitted development”, i.e., development which can be carried out without planning permission - as described in this booklet.

Note 8 - If the work you are carrying out involves making a new access, or the alteration of an existing access to a trunk or classified road, you will need planning permission, not only for the access but also for the development.

If you are in any doubt, you should check with your local Roads Service section office, the address and telephone number of which can be found under ‘Government’ in the phone book or your local planning office will be able to help.