Do I need planning permission for a garage?

Are you hoping to add a detached garage to your property – whether it is to store your car or, like so many families nowadays, to act as a storage facility housing bikes, scooters and the tumble dryer! Follow our simple guide to work out if you need planning permission for this extra space…

Detached garages come under the rules that cover outbuildings when it comes to planning permission. Such garages are covered under the same umbrella as kennels and greenhouses.

In general, outbuildings come under ‘permitted development’, granted by the Town and County Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended), Schedule 2, Part 1, Class E. This means that they do not require planning permission. However, for this to be the case, the building must be “incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling house” and they must meet the following requirements:

• They must not sit forward of a wall that forms the principal elevation.
• They must be single storey and no more than 4 metres high for a dual pitched roof or 3 metres for any other kind of roof, with eaves at no more than 2.5 metres.
• If they are within 2 metres of the boundary of a house, they must be no more than 2.5 metres high.
• They can’t feature verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
• They mustn’t cover more than half the area of the original house.
• If your property is within a National Park, the Broads, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or World Heritage Site, the maximum area that can be covered is 10 square metres for outbuildings that are more than 20 metres from the main house.

Permitted development does not apply in the following instances. For these you will need planning permission:

• If you have a listed building.
• Flats and maisonettes.
• Houses arising from a change of use via permitted development rights.
• An area where there are restrictions on permitted development due to restrictive planning conditions or the removal of permitted development rights via an Article 4 Direction.

In circumstances where your ‘garage’ is not a detached outbuilding, but it is instead attached to the house, it will be an extension that might be permitted via Class A. These permitted development rights were discussed in our March 2019 Blog, which can be read here.

You can also find out more about permitted development on the Gov.uk website here, or of course get in touch.

If you would like to discuss your own project with us, or just find out more about what we do, please continue to browse the website or drop us an email to: info@apexplanning.co.uk without obligation.