Permitted development rights allow certain property owners to carry out improvement works and/or extensions to their property, without the need to apply for planning permission.
Permitted development rights derive from a general planning permission that is granted by the government, rather than us as the local planning authority.
Permitted development rights which apply to many common projects for houses do not apply to flats, maisonettes or other buildings.
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If a flat or maisonette – these do not have permitted development rights and you will need to apply for planning permission .
- If a listed building - you will always need to apply for listed building consent you may also need to apply for planning permission, dependent on your project.
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If your property is in a conservation area, a site of special scientific interest, or an area of outstanding natural beauty/national landscape area, you may need to seek full planning permission or prior approval, dependent on your project.
What is allowed under permitted development rights also depend on whether your property has been extended previously and the size of the plot your property sits in - each property has a unique set of circumstances, so there is no standard answer, so we always advise you check if your house has already been extended since its original build.
It is also possible that your property may have had its permitted development rights removed - so we would always encourage you to check first by doing a planning history search.
The government have published a guidance document on householder permitted development rights to help homeowners understand how they can use their permitted development rights to carry out extensions and improvements. It is designed to be used by anyone who wants to understand more about the detailed rules on householder permitted development and the terms used in those rules.