# Planning Permission? or Not



## Lazurus (22 Jan 2020)

Looking to extend a single 6m x 3.5m garage to 20m x 3.5m, I emailed the local planning office for advice and they replied

_Good Afternoon

Thank you for your enquiry, please note that the Council will no longer respond to queries around whether planning permission is required. Advice can be found on the Planning Portal or you can submit a Certificate of Lawful Proposed Use or Development application. 

North Norfolk District Council have introduced the pre-application advice service for:

•	All householder development) or commercial floor space up to 50sqm
•	All commercial floor space 51 – 499 sqm
•	Small scale residential development (1-9 dwellings) on a site of less than 0.5 hectares or commercial floor space 500sqm to 999sqm)
There are two level of service available bronze (basic response level, constraints only no Planning Officers opinion) and silver. All pre-application enquiries will need to be submitted on a pre-application advice form and submitted online, alternatively a manual form can be downloaded and submitted._

I am still none the wiser if I need to get planning permission or not or something different, anyone offer a explanation in English?


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## John Brown (22 Jan 2020)

I recently asked a simple question of the Stroud Distict Council, regarding interpretation of AONB restrictions to permitted development. I got the same sort of answer - basically, we won't answer any questions unless you bung us 50 quid. According to my neighbours, whose daughter used to work for SDC, it's a nationwie policy change.


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## MikeG. (22 Jan 2020)

You have asked whether you need planning permission, and the council have said, in terms, "there is a formal process to go through, with a fee, before we can tell you the answer to your question".

It isn't possible to give an opinion on whether or not you need permission from what you have said here.


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## MikeG. (22 Jan 2020)

John Brown":1ttnsh39 said:


> I recently asked a simple question of the Stroud Distict Council, regarding interpretation of AONB restrictions to permitted development. I got the same sort of answer - basically, we won't answer any questions unless you bung us 50 quid. According to my neighbours, whose daughter used to work for SDC, it's a nationwie policy change.



It's not a recent change. It's been like this for a number of years now.


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## John Brown (22 Jan 2020)

OK. Fair enough. I do not claim to be any sort of expert...
I assumed it was a recent change because I found several posts, on this forum, which suggested contacting your local friendly planning officer, who would be helpful.


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## Doug71 (22 Jan 2020)

This is building control related and not planning but I'm just on with putting 4 new windows in a little hairdressers we own. Because it's a commercial property costs over £300 for the application and inspection fees plus has to be a full plans application so I need to do some drawings. All for 4 little windows, I can see why people don't bother with regs sometimes.

Only posting this as hoping that Mike will jump in and tell me some bit of legislation to quote meaning I don't need to go through the whole process


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## MikeG. (22 Jan 2020)

Get your window supplier to send some drawings and data sheets (including heat loss calcs). Building Control aren't interested in how things look, so they'll want only enough to show compliance with FENSA and the relevant parts of the building regs. They'll want to know whether the windows are close to a door or the ground and floor, to see whether they need to be "safety glazed". All standard stuff, and it won't be anything your supplier doesn't deal with every day of the week.


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## MikeG. (22 Jan 2020)

John Brown":2d9ubpd2 said:


> .....I found several posts, on this forum, which suggested contacting your local friendly planning officer, who would be helpful.



Many councils still will give basic sorts of responses (such as to this query) FOC. It's always worth trying them first.


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## Phil Pascoe (22 Jan 2020)

John Brown":15yur9oz said:


> ... I found several posts, on this forum, which suggested contacting your local friendly planning officer, who would be helpful.



I think those days are long gone.


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## Doug71 (22 Jan 2020)

MikeG.":3k9jplsu said:


> Get your window supplier to send some drawings and data sheets (including heat loss calcs). Building Control aren't interested in how things look, so they'll want only enough to show compliance with FENSA and the relevant parts of the building regs. They'll want to know whether the windows are close to a door or the ground and floor, to see whether they need to be "safety glazed". All standard stuff, and it won't be anything your supplier doesn't deal with every day of the week.



I'm making and fitting them which is why I'm doing all the drawings and form filling in, it just seems long winded with it being commercial and questions along the lines of "What are the coordinates of the building Northerly and Easterly?" :roll:


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## MikeG. (22 Jan 2020)

Are you doing it on-line on the Planning Portal? If so, that co-ordinate question is only for addresses that don't occur on the pull-down list generated by the post code. And they give a link to a website which automatically generates the Eastings and Northings.


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## Doug71 (22 Jan 2020)

MikeG.":2hlh4ysj said:


> Are you doing it on-line on the Planning Portal? If so, that co-ordinate question is only for addresses that don't occur on the pull-down list generated by the post code. And they give a link to a website which automatically generates the Eastings and Northings.



Thanks Mike, it wasn't so obvious at the time, very generic form, a lot of questions where my answer was n/a. They have asked for payment so at least the wheels are in motion.


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## HOJ (24 Jan 2020)

Lazarus, by the suggestion you are "living and working on the Norfolk Broads", you will come under the Broads Authority for planning, and will be in a conservation area, If you go on to the North Norfolk planning website you will be able to confirm this, in which case you will most definitely need to make a planning application.

I live and work along the Southern Broads, and on some projects we come under the Broads Authority at the back of a property and South Norfolk Council at the front, which can prove complicated, we also have to deal with listed building consents as well, just to further complicate things.

Currently working on a project to carry out renovations and repairs to a listed building, and fit replacement windows, we are going in with Pre app application just to get them all to talk to each other, which we we have paid for, I have no doubt we will have to submit a full planning application once they tell us what they want..


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## RogerS (24 Jan 2020)

John Brown":1tr05v2f said:


> I recently asked a simple question of the Stroud Distict Council, regarding interpretation of AONB restrictions to permitted development. I got the same sort of answer - basically, we won't answer any questions unless you bung us 50 quid. According to my neighbours, whose daughter used to work for SDC, it's a nationwie policy change.



Just think yourself lucky it was only £50. My wife is having to shell out a usurious £620 'admin' AKA Rip-Off fee to Wychavon Council for them to process an application for a deferred payment option for her mother's care.


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## Lons (24 Jan 2020)

RogerS":sf5mz5o8 said:


> My wife is having to shell out a usurious £620 'admin' AKA Rip-Off fee to Wychavon Council for them to process an application for a deferred payment option for her mother's care.


That's scandalous. :shock:


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