Rules and Regs

Planning permission

The first thing you need to do is find out if planning permission is required. Some works can be carried out to a house without permission.

The government's document Planning a guide for householders provides a useful general guide.

Each council has a slightly different approach to planning, for example Winchester Council usually require permission when an extension is added to a house; extensions include conservatories or sun lounges, which are subject to the same planning rules as brick built additions.
Whereas, other local councils will look at height, volume, distance from boundary/highway and other extensions etc.

The planning offices of each council are very helpful and invite you to contact them to discuss proposals.
They will generally ask you to complete and submit a Do I need planning permission form rather than answering telephone enquiries.

Useful numbers and websites:

Fareham Borough Council
01329 236100
www.fareham.gov.uk

Winchester City Council
01962 848177/
01962 848293
www.winchester.gov.uk

Gosport Borough Council
(023) 9258 4242
www.gosport.gov.uk

Portsmouth City Council
(023) 9283 4092
www.portsmouth.gov.uk

We can of course do all this for you, as part of the service.

We will be able to determine whether planning permission is likely to be required, but here are some general guides:

If you answer yes to any of these questions, then planning permission may be required.

• Is your home in a specially designated area, eg national park?

• Is the conservatory on a wall facing a highway / footpath?

• Is the conservatory to be placed on a non-residential property?

• Is your home a multiple dwelling?

• Is the conservatory less than 2m from any boundary?

• Is the conservatory over 50% of the area of your garden?

• Is the conservatory over 4m high?

• Is the conservatory higher than your home?

For terraced houses or houses in national parks

• Is the conservatory more than 50m³ and more than 10% of the volume of your home?

For all other houses

• Is the conservatory more than 70m³ and more than 15% of the volume of your home?

If you are unsure of which council to approach see the map of the Winchester district, taken from The householder's guide to planning permission produced by Winchester City Council.

It is always recommended in all cases to check with the relevant local authority, as errors at this stage could result in very costly repercussions.