Do You Need Loft Conversion Planning Permission ?

The good news is that it is not usually necessary to obtain loft conversion planning permission. But, unfortunately, that doesn’t mean you can just whip out the toolbox, pass the sledgehammer to the missus and get stuck in. Not just yet anyway.

Although planning permission is unlikely to be needed there is still some red tape to wade through and regulations to adhere too as all loft conversions, apart from some storage solutions, must gain building regulations approval.

There is also the Party Wall Act to take into consideration. Confused? Don’t be.

Lets loop back to the beginning. Loft conversion planning permission is ordinarily only required if:

You are lucky enough to live in a national park or area of outstanding natural beauty.

Any addition to the roof slope faces a highway.

If any part of your proposed conversion will be higher than the existing roof line.

Your home is a listed building

If the original house is to be increased by 50 cubic meters (40 cu m for terraced houses) or 10% in both cases.

For a detailed explanation of the above tenets click here.

Although loft conversion planning permission is unlikely to be needed your project will need to conform to the building regulations enforced by the local council.

Update To Loft Conversion Planning Permission.

New government proposals made in December 2006 could change the need for planning permission for any loft conversions.

CLICK HERE for details.

Another article you should read is Applying For Planning Permission

To understand the difference between planning permission and building regulations click here.

So what are the building regulations

Good question.

Quite simply they are the minimum allowed standards of construction and design as laid down by the government. Building regulation approval is given, or declined, by the local authority.

And, naturally, there is a fee to play and application forms to be filled out. Come on, you didn’t really expect anything else did you?

The bottom line is that your loft conversion cannot go ahead until you have submitted plans to the local authority and have had your building regulations application approved.

Please don’t be tempted to begin work without the necessary approval. Click here to find out why this is NOT a good move.

The major tenets of the building regulations that you are required to comply with are:

The floor must be strong enough to cope with the extra stress and weight of the loft conversion. This is a no-brainer. Even basic storage solutions will probably require floor strengthening.

The stability of the structure, including the roof, is not endangered. Again – pretty obvious.

Fire resistance. Hugely important. The building regulations insist that loft floors and walls must be able to resist fire for thirty minutes.

The stairs to your proposed loft conversion, possibly the most important feature of your project, must be designed to comply with safety standards.

Finally. If you are planning a do-it-yourself loft conversion then your architect or draughtsman will draw up and help you to submit your building regulations application or, if you are employing a specialist loft conversion company, then they should be able to obtain the required approval for you.

Make sure this is included in the price they quote you for the build.