| Project | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Internal alterations | Internal alterations do not require planning permission as they are not classed as development. Building regulations consent may however be required, and listed building consent will be required if your property is listed. |
| Maintenance | You do not need to apply for planning permission for repairs or maintenance, including minor improvements, such as painting your house or replacing windows. You also do not need permission to re-roof your house, however additions to the roof are treated as extensions (see below). |
| Extensions, Conservatories, Porches, Loft conversions and Outbuildings | Planning Portal guidance |
| Driveways | There are controls over hard surfaces such as driveways, aimed at reducing water run-off which contributes to flooding. Planning permission will generally be required for the impermeable surfacing of front gardens of areas that are more than 5 square metres. Guidance in respect of the types of surfacing that are permitted can be found on the Communities and Local Government website |
| Fences, walls and gates |
You will need to apply for planning permission if any of the following cases apply:
You will not need to apply for planning permission to take down a fence, wall, or gate, or to alter or improve an existing fence, wall or gate (no matter how high) if you don't increase its height. In a Conservation area, however, you will need Conservation Area Consent to take down a fence, wall or gate where it would have required planning permission. |
| Inserting a window | If the window projects beyond an existing wall (such as a bay window), this is treated as an extension and is subject to the same restrictions as Extensions and Additions. If the window you want to insert is an upper-floor window in the side elevation of the house then it must be obscure glazed and non-opening (unless the opening parts of the window are more than 1.7 metres above floor level). |
| Cladding |
If you live in a Conservation Area, you will need to apply for planning permission before cladding the outside of your house with stone, tiles, artificial stone, plastic, timber, render or pebble dash. Outside of a Conservation Area planning permission will be required if the materials used in any exterior work are not of a similar appearance to those used in the construction of the exterior of the existing dwellinghouse. |
| Dropped kerbs and crossovers |
Planning permission will not be required for a dropped kerb if the two criteria below are met:
If you are unsure whether the road where you are proposing the dropped kerb is an A, B or C classified road then you should contact the Highway Authority (Customer Service Centre) on 01926 412515. Irrespective of whether you require planning permission for a dropped kerb, consent will always be required from Warwickshire County Council as Highway Authority for a drop kerb or pavement/verge crossing. An application will need to be made to the County Council for a licence to construct the vehicle access. |
| Working from home |
You do not necessarily need planning permission to work from home. The key test is whether the overall character of the property will change as a result of the business. If the answer to any of the following questions is "yes", then permission will probably be required:
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It is recommended that you apply for a legal determination to confirm your proposal constitutes permitted development. To do this, you must apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness.
Remember that if you build something which needs planning permission without obtaining permission first, you may be forced to make changes later. This could prove problematic and sometimes costly and may even result in legal action to require removal of the unauthorised works.