What the Householder may Build

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is not everyone’s flavour of the month in matters planning. The removal of regional strategies and centrally imposed building targets has, for many involved in development and town and country planning, left a void which will result in fewer houses being built thereby exacerbating the current shortage. However, not everything that Mr Pickles and his Department does is bad. The Department of Communities and Local Government have produced technical guidance on permitted development for householders. The intention behind the General Permitted Development Order is to enable small scale development to be undertaken without the necessity of obtaining planning permission thereby avoiding further clogging up the already overloaded planning system.

The document replaces earlier guidance. The stated objective is to set out the rules concerning what extensions, improvements and alterations a householder may make to a house and the area around it without the need for a planning application. The new guide is designed to be used by anyone who wants to understand more about the detailed rules on permitted development and the terms used in those rules.

Having read the guide and considered its diagrams, I have to agree that this document achieves its objectives. In colloquial parlance, it does what it says on the tin. As someone who has an expanding town and country planning practice, I confess that not only will householders find this document useful but at least one professional, namely myself.

Unfortunately at the time of writing this blog, the 26th August, the document does not appear on the website of the Department of Communities and Local Government nor on the website for national information. If anyone wishes any information concerning this guidance, please contact me.