How to Calculate the potential margin of a development?
Permitted DevelopmentPart 1 - Development within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse
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GDPO? Part 1? What do you mean?
Enter General Permitted Development Order, lovingly shortened to GDPO . This ball of fun is the legislation permitting many types of developments to be carried out. The original idea was that many planning applications are made which are almost universally acceptable and in essence the Local Planning Autorities would be wasting their time if they needed to evaluate each individually. Imagine for example a small ground floor extension that would have negligible impact on neighbours…
In fact the GDPO extends to much more than just dwellinghouses (people’s residential homes) which we look at in other articles. But here we look at the begining – Schedule 2 – Part 1 – Permitted Development within the curtilage of a Dwellinghouse. This, as the name suggests, relates only to what you can do in your house and its grounds.
Note of caution: This will apply only to houses (i.e. freeholders with no restrictions) and so will not apply to properties like flats. And there are a few other restrictions which we’ll discuss below.
What are the Different types of Permitted development for a dwellinghouse?
At the time of writing there are eight categories of permitted development available to dwellinghouses. They are grouped into the following classes:
Examples of what PD practically
Architects should know exactly what is possible to get for any given plot, right?
Wrong, unfortunately.
Generally no one can know with certainty what would be allowed on a site, and locally experienced or specialised type Architects will know a lot.
However, Architects are not trained in Planning legislation. In universities Architects spend a considerable amount of time training on design but little on conforming to Masterplans and frameworks set by national and local government.
Planners on the other hand are specialists in this and would work with an Architect consulting on the likely possibilities.
The incredible thing is nothing in Planning is ever truly a final No. There are many opportunities for appeals and redesigns but since they are costly in time and money, the ideal approach is to recruit a planner who is locally experienced with the type of project you wish to gain.
Dwellinghouse Permitted development Limits
Ready to get start? Hold your horses!
Before you let loose check that your property does not fall into the general categories for which Permitted Development is not currently allowed. These are listed in Part 3 of schedule 2 of the GDPO and relates to properties that have undergone change of use. In summary they are:
Class M – Dwellinghouses made from retail or betting offices
Class N – Dwellinghouses that were created from Sui Generis
Class P – Dwellinghouses made from Distribution or storage spaces
Class Q – Dwellinghouses made from agricultural buildings
Each of the PD dwellinghouses Classes above may have their own restrictions so be sure to read the class guides.
Beyond these there may be Article 4 directions set by your Local Planning Authority which remove the Permitted Development as they see fit on a local scale, so make sure you check.
A note to remember – just because Permitted Development is not allowed does not mean your development is forever forbidden. It only means that the automatic permission is taken away, but this is when good planning and design will flex their muscles. Planning permission will be the suitable route and if the application conforms to the local and national standards set it could be successful.
When PD actually needs Planning Permission
Architects should know exactly what is possible to get for any given plot, right?
Wrong, unfortunately.
Generally no one can know with certainty what would be allowed on a site, and locally experienced or specialised type Architects will know a lot.
However, Architects are not trained in Planning legislation. In universities Architects spend a considerable amount of time training on design but little on conforming to Masterplans and frameworks set by national and local government.
Planners on the other hand are specialists in this and would work with an Architect consulting on the likely possibilities.
The incredible thing is nothing in Planning is ever truly a final No. There are many opportunities for appeals and redesigns but since they are costly in time and money, the ideal approach is to recruit a planner who is locally experienced with the type of project you wish to gain.
