Mr Ng, Bristol
Mr Ng wanted to build a new conservatory at the rear of his property...
Planning permission
"We'd spoken to the local planning department, so we already knew that there was a certain volume of development allowed without needing planning permission. We are in a conservation area, which made it more likely that we would need to obtain planning permission. Then we discovered that the house had already been extended by a previous owner, so the conservatory we planned would put us over the Permitted Development limit."
"These two reasons meant we needed planning permission. I found the planning department a bit dismissive at first, as it was just a routine inquiry. We went round in circles for a while, but I persisted and got the information I needed after a couple of phone calls. Unfortunately we weren't aware of the Planning Portal website, and did everything through the local authority."
Building regulations
"Because I'm an architect I was aware of building regulations, but I was still surprised at how in-depth they are just for a conservatory. I called the local Building Control department when I needed more information and found them very helpful."
What I would have done differently: "Contacted Building Control for advice as early as possible. And I would have used the Planning Portal if we'd known about it, which would have saved a lot of paperwork." "I would have included other small works to the property on our planning application form, even if I might not get round to doing them immediately. It would have saved submitting separate application forms each time, saving time and money."
Top Tips
- "We got some general advice about the work from the place we bought the conservatory from, but I think it is always worth checking with the local planning department."
- "When we looked into the building regulations, we found that if we added heating to the conservatory we would have to comply with building regulations, whereas if we did not, the conservatory did not require building regulations."
Disclaimer: this is an introductory guide and is not a definitive source of legal information. Read the full disclaimer here.
