Project Type Guides – Page 3

A telecoms mast upgrade under the Part 16 route

On a Part 16 prior approval the council decides siting and appearance, nothing else. How the 56 day period works and what a complete submission contains.

A floodlit all-weather pitch at a school: the planning case

Floodlit synthetic pitches at schools are rarely refused on the sports case. They fail on spill light, evening noise and a community use agreement left vague.

A skate park or youth facility close to housing

Spend the budget on measured source noise data and a defensible acoustic design. Answer the behaviour objections with layout, hours and management, not reassurance.

A pocket park or community garden on a vacant plot

Opening a vacant plot as a community garden is usually a material change of use. The 28 day temporary right can carry a pilot year, but structures and food growing change the picture.

Micro hydro on a mill leat or weir: consents explained

A micro hydro scheme on a mill leat needs planning permission, Environment Agency water consents and often listed building consent. The hands-off flow usually decides whether it is viable.

A rooftop terrace or bar on a city centre building

A rooftop terrace is decided on patron noise at night, overlooking from above and wind comfort. The premises licence runs separately and asks different questions.

A rooftop plant enclosure on a commercial building

Rooftop plant applications turn on the night-time background sound level and on what the screen does to the roofline. Design the plant and the enclosure together.

A clay pigeon or rifle shooting ground

A shooting ground application turns on impulsive gunfire noise and on the land taken by safety zones. Fix direction of fire first, then measure, then design the buildings.

A slurry store and the agricultural notification route

Part 6 prior notification covers most farm slurry stores, with a 28 day period and a narrow council role. The 400 metre protected building rule and the separate storage regulations decide the rest.

A shop front alteration and the consents it needs

Replacing a shopfront usually involves two or three separate consents under different regulations. Knowing which element sits under which regime saves a refusal and a second application.

A flue or chimney for a biomass boiler on an old building

Installing a biomass boiler in an old farmhouse or barn can involve three consents at once: planning, listed building and a chimney height approval under the Clean Air Act 1993.

A swimming pool building in the Green Belt

A detached pool house in the Green Belt is treated as a new building rather than an extension, which changes the policy test entirely. Permitted development may still rescue it.

Subdividing one house into two separate dwellings

Each resulting unit is assessed as a new home, so the space standard and the 2.3m ceiling height decide most subdivisions. The drawings, parking evidence and policy tests.

Converting a closed public house into a dwelling

A closed pub is still a pub in planning terms. What marketing and viability evidence councils require, what an asset of community value listing changes, and why hybrid schemes succeed.

Planning permission for a dormer loft conversion in Article 4 area

Where an Article 4 direction removes Class B, a rear dormer needs a free planning application judged on design. The set-backs, window proportions and evidence that get one approved.

Planning permission for gates and a boundary wall by a road

The 1m limit next to a highway catches more front gardens than people expect, because a highway includes the footway and the verge. Height rules, listed curtilage, Article 4 and retaining walls explained.

Project Type Guides6 min read

Planning permission for shepherd's huts used as glamping

Most owners rely on an exemption that does not do what they think it does. Here is the difference between the licensing rules and the planning position.

Planning permission for extra flats on a block roof

The planning route for airspace flats is the straightforward half. Title, leaseholder notices and the levy are what stop schemes after permission is granted.

Planning permission for a nursery in a residential area

Nursery applications are won on the drop-off plan and lost on the parking survey. Here is the evidence that answers the two objections officers always receive.

Planning permission for static holiday lodges on farmland

Whether a lodge is a caravan or a building decides half the application. The other half is landscape effect and the occupancy condition you will live with.

Planning permission for an equestrian arena with floodlighting

Keeping horses is not agriculture in planning terms, so an arena and its lighting both need permission. Here is how the application is judged in open countryside.

Planning permission for a garden room used as a home office

Class E of Part 1 allows a garden building incidental to the enjoyment of the house. Two numbers and one word decide whether your home office needs permission.