Big Garden sheds and planning issues

[Matt@]

rear garden is average 45' wide (thats across the width of the back of the house and to the end of the plot) by 35' deep (from rear of house to six ft high boundray wall that borders a footpath alongside the road.

End of shed would be 10' from the back corner of the house and run down the garden to within 6 feet of the wall by the footpath. The entire length of the shed would sit tight up against the boundray wall (six feet high) that seperates us from next door.

 

[9fingers]

Matt@, Based on permitted development rules and building control law,
I think the following will apply.

You will need planning permission as it will be nearer than 5m to the house.

If the internal area is less than 15 sq metres then you need not apply for building regs.
If you were to move it 1 metre or more from the boundary or make it fire resistant, then you could go up to 30 sq m internal with out BR.

Anything in any position over 30 sq m should have BR approval and given you will need PP then they will get to find out about what you are doing.

Any chance you could build it >5m from the house to save a lot of agro and cost.

Bob

 

[andyw]

hi Matt,

within 5m means talking to the planners to see what they will allow. Best to avoid if you can.

 

[Adam]

If you do talk to anyone do call it a "SHED" not a workshop. Add workshop to your list of banned words when dealing with officials. Shed sounds small, and temporary and not intrusive, workshop brings the idea of noise etc etc.

Adam

 

[head clansman]

Hi Matt

judging from your first post i think your intending to build a timber shed as i said earlier it has to be 5 m from back of house for fire regulations .

you say the length of garden is only 35 ft long and from the size you intend to build it's only 10 ft from back of house this is inside the fire regulations, for my area in Weymouth , but all is not lost, does it have to built of timber, if not then this will probably bring in different rules and regulation .

When i was planning mine i didn't want to go ahead without permission so the council could tell me to take it down, this was why i decided to be up front with them right from the start , make an appointment with the planning officers draw some good sketches of what you want show where it is in the garden include sizes of shed and size of garden , talk to them, if your up front with them they will fall over themselves to help you there not idiots, don't try and pull any tricks with them, doing it the correct way you'll eventually get to build the biggest shed you can afford/ permitted and nobody else will be able to do a thing about it.

Also remember all information you're being given on this forum from well meaning members from all over the country is different all councils have different regulation there not uniform across the country , make an appointment with your planning officers, what applies to me down here etc may well not apply to you . good luck

 

[Adam]

Hi Matt

judging from your first post i think your intending to build a timber shed as i said earlier it has to be 5 m from back of house for fire regulations .

you say the length of garden is only 35 ft long and from the size you intend to build it's only 10 ft from back of house this is inside the fire regulations, for my area in Weymouth , but all is not lost, does it have to built of timber, if not then this will probably bring in different rules and regulation .

When i was planning mine i didn't want to go ahead without permission so the council could tell me to take it down, this was why i decided to be up front with them right from the start , make an appointment with the planning officers draw some good sketches of what you want show where it is in the garden include sizes of shed and size of garden , talk to them, if your up front with them they will fall over themselves to help you there not idiots, don't try and pull any tricks with them, doing it the correct way you'll eventually get to build the biggest shed you can afford/ permitted and nobody else will be able to do a thing about it.

Also remember all information you're being given on this forum from well meaning members from all over the country is different all councils have different regulation there not uniform across the country , make an appointment with your planning officers, what applies to me down here etc may well not apply to you . good luck

I think thats the best advice so far....

Adam

 

[Jake]

Yup, good advice. The last sentence is wrong though, the relevant rules are uniform nationwide (well, England and Wales). That doesn't mean they will apply them the same way, though!

 

[Digit]

That's a bit of a contradiction in terms isn't it Jake?

Roy.

 

[Jake]

Ideally it would be, but councils are rarely ideal.

I was just about to modify that post, actually, to say that I wouldn't rely entirely on what I was told by a planning or BC officer, I'd do some reading and thinking first so as to be talking to them on somewhat level terms. I've had a few conversations with such people where they have shifted their position from one which was obviously their default position most convenient to them rather than 'right'.

 

[Digit]

That's also my experience Jake, first the 'company' line, then the waffle, then passed to a bigger bigwig then a more reasoned answer. But having said that my local planning dept has been criticized by the Welsh Assembly for its approach to planning requests. For years there was waste ground next door to me that was finally sold as a building plot and a home erected, a hundred yards up the road a similar application rejected, 3yrs in the decision, because exit from the property would be onto a main road. Like wot the new house is!

Roy.

 

[head clansman]

hi Jake

the rules and regs to planning offices were change more than a few yrs ago ( nowhere near as strict as they use to be ) well not hear in Weymouth any way, having said that doesn't mean they may still be very strict in an other area, each planning office inter-pet there own rules in there own way according to how they wish thing to be, after all that why there the planning office .

I said be up front with them right from the start. No matter how long it may take to get what you eventually want to build you might even have to compromise on what you want to build in the end , that has to be better than being refused, insist it will be in writing from them so no matter even if a different and difficult officer should appear say if some neighbour should complain which is almost certain its all on paper leaving you with no problem to be able to build the workshop of your dreams, and some little jumped up planning officer, or neighbour cant do a thing about it.

 

[Digit]

The trouble with rules is often how they are implemented. A little hitler can be pretty bloody minded even where the rules are for the benefit of many.
An example is the 15mtr rule mentioned earlier as a fire break with a timber workshop. That has got to be seen as a common sense idea. BUT, what happens in my case with a timber home? Logic says any fire would be more likely to spread 'tother way!
I know, I'm an awkward sod!

Roy.

 

[head clansman]

hi digit

Logic says any fire would be more likely to spread 'tother way!

not sure what that means digit.

when you say timber house does that mean exterior walls as well

 

[Digit]

Like I said Martin, I'm an awkward sod! I my case it means exactly that!
My home is converted WW2 POW accommodation! :lol:

Roy.

 

[head clansman]

Hi Roy

If I'm understanding you correctly and you house has exterior walls of brick or blocks then another set of building reg apply, and your house can be built closer to your neighbours property much closer than these timber workshops can be built to your own property.

 

[dickm]

Like I said Martin, I'm an awkward sod! I my case it means exactly that!
My home is converted WW2 POW accommodation! :lol:

As another member of the awkward squad, my house is all timber too - a Swedish Hedlund bungalow, with triple glazing and heat recovery. Needs about 2kW to heat it in midwinter Aberdeenshire.
BUT, you try insuring it with most companies.
Point being that if your shed doesn't meet building regs and you have any problems, your insurers will wriggle out of payment as sure as eggs is eggs. And if you come to sell, then buyer's solicitors will have a field day.

 

[Digit]

I've no idea Martin. I was simply musing on whether the risk of a fire spreading from a timber workshop could be equated with the likelihood of one spreading 'tother way from a timber house.

BUT, you try insuring it with most companies.

Tell me about it! You'd think us two were the only pair in the western world who chose to live in a house that is ecologically far more sound than brick and tile, had lower heating costs than above, that required lighter foundations and less maintenance wouldn't you ****?

Roy.

 

[9fingers]

Insurance risk assessment is all about statistics and good stats come from large samples of data. Insurers don't want anything out of the ordinary. They want risks that fit into their models of the world.
Frustrating but thats how it works.

Bob

 

[Digit]

Quite.

Roy.

 

[head clansman]

Hi Roy

sorry Roy i misunderstood what you were saying, which every way the fire is going is going to be horrendous and hope to god it never ever happens to any body, and as for insurance companies well they don't want to know about insuring a workshop i tried many yrs ago to insure my tools ha what they wanted very near as much as what the tools are worth , and that would be every year. got to take your own measures so it cant be broken into, and make sure power is off at night as well