Do you need planning permission for a conservatory?

Check if you'll need permission. <i>(Image: Getty)</i>
Check if you'll need permission. (Image: Getty)
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If you’ve been thinking about adding a conservatory to your home for some indoor-outdoor living, you may want to check the rules and regulations.

Some have been caught about when building a conservatory, thinking it was all okay to build without planning permission only to be met with a nasty fine.

Whilst not all conservatories need planning permission, some do. To help avoid being caught out we’ve broken down all the information you need.

If you’re building a garden room, you can find out here if you’ll need planning permission.

Cambs Times: Will you need planning permission?Will you need planning permission? (Image: Getty)

Do you need planning permission to build a conservatory?

Breaking it down by planning permission terms, a conservatory building falls under the same rules as a single-storey extension (permitted developments) so typically do not need planning permission.

However, there are some cases which mean permission will be needed, anything under the following aspects will need permission:

  • Over 50% of the ground from the original building is set to be covered by the additional building.
  • The extension is on the side of the original home or forward facing onto a road.
  • The conservatory is higher than the original building's highest point.

You’ll also need planning permission if the conservatory is wider than half the width of the attached building.

Conservatories built at the rear of property over six meters for semi, or eight meters for detached will need permission.

Finally, anyone who lives in a designated area could need planning permission as well as those in listed buildings.

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