Reply ID 55092
11/09/2008 by Ewoowar
I believe the rules changed the other way in recent years.
We had a loft conversion 7 years ago and did not require planning permission. Our neighbours now have to get planning permission for theirs.
I recall talking to a director of the company that did our conversion about 18 months ago. He said that the view of the loft conversion industry was that the government were deliberately trying to stifle the loft conversion market with beaurocracy in order to stimulate the housing market, albeit in a minor way.
Reply ID 55094
11/09/2008 by SMT
This is an extension to the Permitted Development rights which most homes have (unless they have expressly been removed, which more commonly occurs in new build estates as the houses are likely to be already built at maximum density). On the whole, it's probably a sensible move, but you will still need Building Regs which is separate from Planning Permission.
I suspect the pressure it two-fold; one in response to the slowing of the housing market, although it is difficult to see that the Government has responded so quickly with a change in legislation, and secondly a way to improve 8 week decision times. Many councils simply don't have enough planners; the London Boroughs in particular tend to include a large proportion of Australian and New Zealand contract staff (or French in the case of the council on the telly this evening), and I am aware of some district planners who have 60-odd cases, which doesn't lend itself to being able to make a balanced, robust decision.
However, it would be best to check with your planning department if you're intending to take advantage of the new legislation and aren't sure exactly what you can do!
Editted: I just wanted to clarify that my comments about overseas workers in the Planning sector were not a criticism of those people, but used to demonstrate the reliance on contract workers in some councils. The RPTI has produced a number of articles stated that planning in London would grind to a halt without these staff, and Croydon has actively recruited from Oz in recent months. There are apparently insufficient home grown planners despite invest in new Masters degrees. Just wanted to clarify so that my post was not mis-interpreted as a criticism of overseas planners.