Garden Room Permitted Development UK | Planning & Building Regulations Guide

A Garden Room Without Planning Permission!

In most cases, homeowners are allowed to add a garden room to their outdoor space without needing planning permission.

This is because garden rooms usually fall within permitted development rights, as long as specific guidelines are met.

All our garden rooms are carefully designed to comply with permitted development regulations, meeting legal requirements and removing any issues for our customers.

Garden Room Permitted Development

Outbuildings are classed as permitted development and usually do not require planning permission, provided certain limits and conditions are met. These include restrictions on size, height, positioning in relation to boundaries, and how the outbuilding is used.

Below, we outline these conditions to help ensure your project complies with current regulations. Understanding these guidelines before construction is essential to confirm your outbuilding meets permitted development requirements.

1. No outbuilding on land forward of a wall forming the principal elevation.
2. Outbuildings and garages to be single storey with maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of four metres with a dual pitched roof or three metres for any other roof.
3. Maximum height of 2.5 metres in the case of a building, enclosure or container within two metres of a boundary of the curtilage of the dwelling house.
4. No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
5. No more than half the area of land around the "original house"* would be covered by additions or other buildings.
6. In National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites the maximum area to be covered by buildings, enclosures, containers and pools more than 20 metres from house to be limited to 10 square metres.
7. On designated land* buildings, enclosures, containers and pools at the side of properties will require planning permission.
8. Within the curtilage of listed buildings any outbuilding will require planning permission.

*The term "original house" means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.

*Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.

Please Note: The permitted development allowances described here apply to houses not flats, maisonettes or other buildings. This is an introductory guide and is not a definitive source of legal information. This guidance relates to the planning regime and building regulations for England. Policy in Wales & Scotland may differ. If in doubt contact your Local Planning Authority.

Exempt From Building Regulations!

A garden room with an internal floor area of up to and including 30 square metres is exempt from current building regulations. The applicable guidelines are outlined below:
Garden rooms with an internal floor area of up to and including 15 square metres are exempt, provided the structure is positioned at least 0.5 metres from any boundary.
Garden rooms with an internal floor area between 15 square metres and 30 square metres are exempt, provided the structure is positioned at least 1 metre from any boundary.

Built And Installed On Site To Comply!

All our garden rooms are carefully designed, built, and installed to comply with permitted development rules and building regulation requirements.

2.5m high garden rooms must be positioned 0.5m or 1.0m from the boundary, depending on floor area.

3.0m high garden rooms with a sloping roof must be positioned 2.0m from any boundary.

4.0m high garden lodges with an apex roof must be positioned 2.0m from any boundary.