Have grand custom home plans? Want to build a lovely house extension in your garden? Have an unused commercial property that’s ripe to become a housing development? Then you need planning permission from your local authority.
JDP is a Shropshire-based architect firm with a proven track record of creating architectural house plans that offer our clients the best chances for planning permission approval. We’ve put together this guide that answers the questions we’ve commonly faced from clients.
Planning permission is formal approval from your local authority, allowing you to build or make significant alterations to a building. Without it, you face hefty fines and the reversal of work from your local authority.
Planning permission was put into place to stop people from making crazy custom home plans or creating new buildings that would negatively impact direct neighbours, the environment, and the wider community.
It applies when you’re building something “new” or making significant changes to a home, like a large extension, an outbuilding, or adding dormer windows to a roof. Planning permission is also required when you are changing the function of a property, for example, converting a corner shop into a home, or splitting an existing home into flats.
Some changes can forgo planning permission under Permitted Development rules, particularly small-scale changes like adding a lean-to porch. However, not all councils use Permitted Development or restrict it from being used in areas of conservation. Before you start your project, contact your local authority’s planning department or a local architect firm, they’ll be the most accurate source to learn if you need to submit a planning application.
Not at all, especially if you have an experienced architect firm guiding you through the application process. The main causes of rejected planning permission are from neighbour objections and a lack of supporting documentation, especially for complex developments.
The more complex your project, the more documentation you will need to show you know what you’re doing. Commercial builds, complex multi-story developments, or projects on undeveloped land require extensive reports detailing matters like ecology, access, and drainage.
Yes, if your planning application is refused or was granted with unacceptable conditions, you have the right to appeal. There is no fee to submit an appeal, but it must be done within 6 months of the decision. This allows you time to ask for feedback from your local planning officer and revise the architectural house plans.
Legally, you don’t, but if you want your custom home plans to be approved, it would be unwise to submit any plans without the guidance of an architect firm. The expertise of a house extension architect is essential to maximising your chances of approval. Architects can do the hard work of reporting and creating the application for you, allowing you to focus on the important parts of development.
What’s allowed under permitted developments is often so small that architects aren’t needed. That said, Johnson Design Partnership has been consulted on many Permitted Development projects that require a unique, innovative, and sustainable design that a homeowner couldn’t design on their own.
We have worked on many projects of varying complexity and scalability. From simple house extension architect drawings to feasibility studies for large healthcare facilities. For the best chance of planning permission approval, contact our architect firm today.
