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Do I Need Permission?

There are many kinds of alterations and additions to houses for which you do not need to apply for planning permission . If you are in any doubt about whether you need to apply, you can contact us at the planning department and fill in a Householder Exemption  (14.86 KB) form or do a search on the Planning Portal Web site which gives information on planning, with a visual guide to planning, a volume calculator and other useful information. Alternatively click on the following link to explore the interactive house.

Take care!  It is your responsibility for seeking, or not seeking, planning permission. If required, planning permission should be granted before any work begins. If you build something which needs planning permission without obtaining permssion first, you may be forced to put things right later, which could prove troublesome and costly.  You may be asked to put a retrospective planning application in for the works and might even have to remove an unauthorised building which will involve the Planning Enforcement department.

The following are common examples of when you may need to apply for planning permission.

• You want to make additions or extensions to a flat or maisonette.
• You want to divide off part of your house for use as a separate home or use a building or caravan in your garden as a separate residence for someone else.
• You want to build a separate house in your garden.
• You want to divide off part of your home for business or commercial use or you want to build a parking place for a commercial vehicle.
• You want to build something which goes against the terms of the original planning permission for your house.
• The work you want to do might obstruct the view of road users.
• The work would involve a new or wider access to a trunk or classified road.

Permitted Development

If you live in a house, you can make certain types of minor changes to your home without needing to apply for planning permission. These rights, called "permitted development rights" come from a general planning permission granted not by the local authority but by Parliament. In some areas permitted development rights are restricted or even removed. You will need to check with the planning department if you are not sure.

There are also different requirements if your house is a Listed Building  (376.91 KB)., in a Conservation area  (571.34 KB) or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, contact the planning department or go to My Local Area to check the area.  You may require Listed Building consent  (253.26 KB) for the works however it is advisable to contact the planning department before commencing works to a Listed Building.

Note: you will need to check if permitted development rights have been removed or if your property is a Listed Building.or in the curtilage of a Listed Building.

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Working from Home - Business or Commercial Use.

You do not necessarily need planning permission to work from home. The key test is whether the overall character of the dwelling will change as a result of the business.  If the answer to any of the following questions is 'yes', the permission will probably be needed:

• Will your home no longer be used mainly as a private residence?
• Will your business result in a marked rise in traffic or people calling?
• Will your business involve any activities unusual in a residential area?
• Will your business disturb your neighbours at unreasonable hours or create other forms of nuisance such as noise or smells?

Beware!  

If you are in any doubt about whether you need to apply, you can contact us at the planning department, look at our leaflet A Guide on Pre-application Advice  (129.00 KB), this tells you what we would like you to do prior to submitting a planning application.  (Please note: there is no longer a form to accompany this leaflet.)  Our Planning Officers will also give pre-application advice.  Another useful booklet to look at is "Planning Permission A guide for Business".

Planning's Frequently Asked Questions

The following are some frequently asked questions with links and responses that we hope will make the site more useful.

• Do I need permission for a conservatory?
• Do I need permission for a dropped kerb or hard standing for a vehicle in a garden?
• Do I need permission to convert my loft into a room?
• Do I need permission to convert my garage into a room?
• Do I need permission to construct a detached garage?
• Do I need permission to construct a car port?
• Do I need permission to construct a patio?
• Do I need permission to construct a porch?
• Do I need permission to convert my house into flats?
• Do I need permission to install a Satellite dish?
• Can I view planning drawings, forms and other information relating to a planning application on line?
• Can I view Planning Committee Agendas and minutes on line?
• How do I find online planning help and advice?
• Can I make a planning application online?
• Can I download application forms?
• How long will my application take?
• What happens if I don't get an approval?

Do I need permission for a conservatory

No, provided you do not do the following:

• (Unless the building is a listed building in which case planning permission will be required)
• Build between your original house and any highway, unless the highway is at least 20 metres from the conservatory.(Highway here includes all roads, footpaths, bridleways and byways if they are public rights of way.)
• Build over more than half of your property.
• Build higher than the highest part of the house roof.
• Build more than 4 metres high within 2 metres of your boundary.
• Increase the volume of your original house by more than 10% or 50 cubic metres, whichever the greater, for a terraced house or a house in a Conservation Area
• For any other house, increase the volume of the original house by more than 15% or 70 cubic metres, whichever the greater, up to 115 cubic metres.

Planning Notes:

• If a conservatory comes within 5 metres of another building of yours, that building will count against the allowance.
• Any of your buildings more than 10 cubic metres in volume and within 5 metres of your house counts against the allowance.
• In a Conservation Area you count all buildings more than 10 cubic metres in volume against the allowance, wherever they are on your property
• Attached garages, car ports, conservatories, swimming pool extensions and utility rooms are all classed as extensions.

Is Building Regulations approval required? or Return to FAQs or Return to top of page

Do I need permission for a dropped kerb or hard standing for a vehicle in a garden?

Whether or not you require planning permission for a crossover or hardstanding depends on the following criteria:

• Is the road onto which you wish to gain access a classified road? If yes planning permission is definitely required.
• Find out if the road is a classified road by contacting the Worcestershire Highways Partnership Unit on 01386 565193.
• Is the property in a Conservation Area? If yes you may require permission if that particular 'permitted development' right has been removed.

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Do I need permission to convert my loft into a room?

Purely internal works do not need planning consent unless you live in a Listed Building so boarding out the loft and putting in a roof light would not usually need planning permission. However there are some instances where planning permission would be necessary.
Also you do not normally need planning permission to re-roof your house, insert skylights or build a dormer unless:

• You live in a Listed Building or Conservation Area.
• Any dormer or roof extension faces a highway.
• The dormer or roof extension adds more than 50 cubic metres to your house or 40 cubic metres to a terraced house.
• The dormer or roof extension would extend above the highest part of the roof.

Building Regulations approval will be required or Return to FAQs or Return to top of page

Do I need permission to convert my garage into a room?

Under normal circumstances you do not need planning consent to convert an attached garage into a room unless there is a condition on the original planning consent for your house which prevents you from doing so. You need to check this with the planning department.

Building Regulations approval will be required or  Return to FAQs or Return to top of page

Do I need permission to construct a detached garage?

No, provided you do not do the following:

• Build between your house and the highway unless the highway is over 20 metres from the garage
• Build over more than half of the land on your property.
• Build more than 4 metres high within 2 metres of your boundary.
• Build within 5 metres of extensions that have used up your permitted volume allowances.

Planning Notes:

• If your property is a Listed Building planning permission is required.
• Any of your buildings more than 10 cubic metres in volume and within 5 metres of your house counts against the allowances.
• In a Conservation Area you count all buildings more than 10 cubic metres in volume against the allowance, wherever they are on your property

Is Building Regulations approval required? or Return to FAQs or Return to top of page

Do I need permission to construct a car port?

No, provided you do not do the following:

• Build between your house and any highway, unless the highway is at least 20 metres from the carport.
• Build over more than half the area of your property.
• Build is higher than the highest part of the house roof.
• Build more than 4 metres high within 2 metres of your boundary.
• Increase the volume of your original house by more than 10% or 50 cubic metres for a terraced house or a house in a Conservation Area. To be quite clear, a carport counts against this.

For any other house you increase the volume of your original house by more than 15% or 70 cubic metres, whichever the greater, up to a maximum of 115 cubic metres and a carport counts against this.

Planning Notes:

• If your property is a Listed Building plannning permission is required.
• If the carport comes within 5 metres of another building of yours, that building will count against the volume allowance above.
• Any of your buildings more than 10 cubic metres in volume and within 5 metres of your house counts against the allowance.
• In a Conservation Area you count all buildings more than 10 cubic metres in volume against the allowance, wherever they are on your property
• If the carport is for a commercial vehicle then the whole thing will require consent.

Is Building Regulations approval required? or Return to FAQs or Return to top of page

Do I need permission to construct a patio?

There are no restrictions on the area of land around your house which you can cover with hard surfaces so you will only need to apply for planning permission only if the hard surface is not to be used for domestic purposes and is to be used instead, for example, for parking a commercial vehicle or for storing goods in connection with a business. However, if you are significantly altering ground levels or erecting decking above ground level planning permission maybe required.

You must obtain the separate approval if a new driveway would cross a pavement or verge. For more information contact Worcestershire Highways Partnership Unit on 01386 565195.

You will also need to apply for planning permission if you want to make a new or wider access for your driveway on to a trunk or other classified road.

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Do I need permission to construct a porch?

You will need planning permission for a porch if the porch:

• Has an external ground area of more than 3 sq. metres;
• Is higher than 3 metres above ground level;
• Is less than 2 metres away from a boundary with any highway

Note: with a listed building planning permission will be required.

Is Building Regulations approval required? or Return to FAQs or Return to top of page

Do I need permission to convert my house into flats?

You need planning consent to divide your house into self-contained flats or bedsits but you do not need it if you want to let one or two rooms to lodgers.

Building Regulations approval will be required or Return to FAQs or Return to top of page

Do I need permission to install a Satellite dish?

Provided you do not live in a conservation area or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) then you do not need permission to install a dish on your house as long as:

Houses and buildings up to 15 metres high.

• there are no more than two antennas on the property overall, including garden;
• if you are installing a single antenna, it is not more than 100cm in size in any linear dimension; (this means taking the measurement in a straight line, starting from the edge of the antenna to the opposite edge.  The measurement should only include the antenna itself and not any attachment needed to fix it to the wall or roof or connect to it up to your equipment).
• if you are installing two antennas, one is not more than 100 cm in any linear dimension (this means taking the measurement in a straight line, starting from the edge of the antenna to the opposite edge.  The measurement should only include the antenna itself and not any attachment needed to fix it to the wall or roof or connect to it up to your equipment).  The other is not more than 60 cm in any linear dimension.
• the cubic capacity of each individual is not more than 35 litres.
• if fixed to a chimney stack, the dish does not exceed 60 cm in size and is not higher than the stack.
• an antenna mounted on the roof only sticks out above the roof when there is a chimney stack.  In this case, the antenna should not stick out more than 60 cm above the highest part of the roof or above the highest part of the chimney stack, whichever is lower.

In a Conservation Area or AONB all the above and

• an antenna is not installed on a chimney, wall or a roof slope which faces onto, and can be seen from, a road.

For buildings 15 or more metres high

Provided you do not live in a conservation area or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) then you do not need permission to install a dish on your house unless:

• there will be no more than four antennas on the building overall;
• the size of any antenna is not more that 130 cm in any linear dimension (not including any projecting feed element, reinforcing rim, mounting and brackets);
• the cubic capacity of each individual antenna is not more than 35 litres;
• an antenna fitted onto a chimney stack is not more than 60 cm in any linear dimension; and
• an antenna mounted on the building does not stick out above the highest part of the building by more than 300 centimteres.

For buildings 15 or more metres high in aConservation Area or AONB all the above and

• an antenna is not installed on a chimney, wall, or a roof slope which faces onto, and can be seen from, a road.

If you live in a flat, these limits refer to the building as a whole and not to each seperate flat.

If the number of dishes or antennas installed on the building has already reached the maximum allowed, you will need planning permission to install another antenna.  In this case, you may wish to discuss with other residents the possibility of a shared system.  You are responsible for applying for planning permission.

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Can I view planning drawings, forms and other information relating to a planning application online?

Yes you can view all Wychavon's planning applications online from 1995 to the present day, there are varying amounts of information available depending on the age of the application. Current applications are updated regularly as more information is added to the file.  Applications from 1995 to October 2003 will show the planning register page only.  The planning application search page will allow you to search for a specific planning application.  If you want to view applications in general then the weekly list application search may be more useful to you.  This provides information on applications validated or determined week by week for the past 12 weeks.

Please note:  Any hard or soft landscaping shown on planning applications may not be part of the application and therefore not part of the approval.  Plans may be amended prior to decision, if unsure please ask.

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Can I view Planning Committee Agendas and minutes online?

Yes, you can view all items that are to be discussed at planning committee by visiting the Councils online committee pages.  You will be able to view the reports, Agendas and minutes when they are available.

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How do I find online planning help and advice?

We have tried to provide as much information as possible within the web pages on a variety of planning topics.  There are guidance leaflets in our Planning Publications section or contact the Customer Service Officers on 01386 565565 between 9am and 5pm, Monday - Friday.

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Can I make a planning application online?

You can make an online planning application to Wychavon by using the Planning Portal.  We can accept payment online, over the phone or of course by cheque or cash.

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Can I download application forms?

Yes, all our application forms are on line you can download them, look at our planning forms page.  If you have any problems or need to speak to us please contact us on 01386 565565 between 9am and 5pm, Monday - Friday.  Or email the planning department - planning@wychavon.gov.uk.

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   How long will my application take?

This will depend on the type of application, a Householder application is a six to eight week process.  As part of that process we will notify anyone who's boundary joins the application site and Parish or Town Council.There is a statutory consultation period of 21 days   If it is in a Conservation area or a Listed Building we will advertise in the local press and put a Planning site notice up.  We will notify you that your application is valid and tell you who your Planning Officer is with their dierct dial telephone number, also what your planning referrence number is.  If the Planning Officer requires further information they will contact you or your Agent if you have an Agent representing you.  As part of the application your Planning Officer will make a site visit and will take photographs for their referrence.  You will be able to follow your application on our web site through the Planning search pages.  You can contact your Planning Officer at any time to discuss your application.

To sort out any possible issues before you submit your application we suggest that you seek advice from a Planning Officer by putting your proposal in writing, have a look at our leaflet A Guide on Pre-application Advice.  (129.00 KB)

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What happens if I don't get Approval?

Should your application be refused you have the right to go to Appeal within six months of the date of your refusal  This is dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate, the details and address will be on the back of your refusal document.

You can re-submit your application as many times as you wish, if you reapply within a year you will get a free go provided the applicant is the same and the description is the same.

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