Big Changes in Planning Law Announced this Year

Prime Minister David Cameron has this autumn announced big changes to planning rules in a bid to encourage more home improvements and kick-start the ailing economy.

What that means in practice is that if you want to build extensions and large conservatories, you can now do so without needing planning permission under new short-term regulations brought in to boost the British construction industry.

And the change to the planning rules governing domestic properties will alter a situation in which 200,000 typically apply for planning permission for home improvements, from garage conversions and rear extensions to conservatories in Wirral and elsewhere across the UK.

Traditionally, application fees have cost on average £150, while the process has also often left many householders feeling as though they were drowning in red tape.

On a positive note, however, it seems that typically the vast majority, some 90%, of applications do eventually get approved.

But the previous rules stated that single-storey rear extensions and conservatories may be built with no need for planning permission as long as they do not reach further than the back wall of the property by a certain limit.

For semi-detached homes, that was previously three metres, a metre more for detached properties.

Under the new rules imposed this autumn, these restrictions are to be double, so that large numbers of extensions which previously would have needed planning permission could go ahead at once.

Loft extensions will not be covered, however, as the new exemptions apply only to single-storey home improvements.

And the changes were brought in as a temporary measure, due to expire in 2015. The coalition hopes that home owners will be inspired to bring forward any plans they may have had to carry out improvements on their properties, so that Britain effectively builds its way out of the recession.

Home improvements with Bebington Glass

At Bebington Glass, we’ve got the north west covered! So whether you want double glazing in Chester or roofing in Cheshire, we can help.

We can undertake a wide variety of improvements to your property from doors and windows to conservatories, flat roof repairs and a lot more besides. What’s more, we’ve been working in the industry since the late 1970s, so we know what we're doing.

We’re very much a family firm, and proud of our team of committed staff members.

Part of the Bebington difference is that we employ all our own workers directly – we don’t use temps or sub-contracted staff. And all our employees have the experience and knowledge to help you with the right product for your home, while all share the same commitment to quality that’s at the core of our company’s philosophy.

We work to the strictest quality standards, and so we were particularly proud to be awarded the prestigious ISO 9001 in 2006. It’s something we have maintained ever since.

Learn more about our company today – and see how we could help you, however you want to enhance your home. There’s more online.