Conservatory Planning Permission and Building Regulations

Everything you need to know about Planning Permission and Building Regulations for your bespoke Conservatory
For many, when planning your conservatory, Planning Permission and Building Regulations can be an unwanted concern. By choosing Planet South Lakes this is taken out of your hands so you are free to enjoy the exciting parts of choosing your dream conservatory – such as what style will you have, will the roof be glass or polycarbonate and how will you use your new conservatory or sunroom? Planet South Lakes are extremely knowledgeable about the Planning and Building Regulations process throughout Cumbria including Kendal, Barrow-in-Furness, Carlisle, Keswick and Lancaster, Morecambe parts of Lancashire and will take care of the research and the application if required.

What is the difference between Planning Permission and Building Regulations?
Planning Permission and Building Regulations are often confused. Both are the responsibility of the Local Authority and basically, Planning Permission takes into consideration the aesthetic effect of a new building/extension on the surrounding homes and neighbourhood, whilst Building Regulations define how the structure must be constructed in terms of thermal efficiency etc.

Do I need Planning Permission?
Planet South Lakes will take care of this for you, but for your information, here is a summary of the basic facts. In most cases you will not require planning permission for your conservatory under the present legislation, unless you are adding a conservatory to a house that has already been extended. You may also need to check if your house is a ‘new build’ as developers sometimes place restrictions on them.

Will my conservatory need to satisfy Building Regulations?
In general, a domestic conservatory will be exempt under UK building regulations, again, ask Planet South Lakes to check this out for you, they will take care of the process.

You may now be able to build quite a number of conservatories without planning permission that previously would have needed it. The following rules must be followed to remain exempt from them.

• They are built at ground level and are less than 30 square metres in floor area

• At least half of the new wall and three quarters of the roof is either glazed or translucent material.

• The conservatory is separated from the house by external quality door(s).

• Glazing and any fixed electrical installations comply with the applicable building regulations requirements.

So while permitted development rights now allow for the construction of many conservatories without planning permission items 1 and 2 above may still limit their size and material construction if you want to avoid building regulations. If a conservatory you are building does not meet any of the above four rules then it will have to adhere to building regulations in full.

For further details of Planning Permission for your Conservatory, contact Planet South Lakes on 0800 612 2255 or visit our showroom in Kendal.