Guides
Rear extensions 
Loft conversions and dormers 
Garden rooms and outbuildings Extensions
- Rear extensionsWhen a single-storey or two-storey rear extension needs planning permission in England, and when it does not.
- ConservatoriesWhen a conservatory on a house in England needs planning permission, and the extension limits it has to stay within.
- PorchesThe three size limits that let you add a porch to a house in England without planning permission.
- Side extensionsThe width, height and storey limits for a side extension under permitted development in England, and when you need to apply.
- Two-storey extensionsThe permitted development rules for two-storey rear extensions in England, and where they differ from a single-storey extension.
Lofts
- Loft conversions and dormersThe volume limits and design rules for a loft conversion or dormer under permitted development in England.
Outbuildings
- Garden rooms and outbuildingsHeight, position and use rules for garden rooms, studios, sheds and other outbuildings under permitted development in England.
- ShedsThe height, position and use rules a garden shed must meet to avoid needing planning permission in England.
- Granny annexes and outbuildings for familyWhen a room or building for a relative needs planning permission in England: incidental, ancillary and separate homes explained.
Energy
- Solar panelsThe permitted development rules in England for solar panels on a house, and free-standing panels in the garden, as changed on 27 August 2026.
Gardens
- Driveways and dropped kerbsWhen a front driveway or a dropped kerb needs planning permission in England, and the separate consent a dropped kerb always needs.
- Swimming poolsWhen a garden swimming pool at a house in England is permitted development, and when it needs planning permission.
Rules
- Permitted development rights explainedWhat permitted development is, which homes have it, what takes it away, and the classes that cover work to a house in England.
Use
- Change of useUse classes in plain words, the changes of use allowed without planning permission in England, and when you need planning permission.
Protections
- Article 4 directionsWhat an Article 4 direction removes, how notice works, and how to check if your home is covered in England.
- Conservation areasHow permitted development shrinks in a conservation area in England, from extensions and dormers to demolition and trees, and how to give an application the best chance.
- Listed buildingsWhat listing means for the owner of a home in England, the grades, what needs listed building consent inside and out, how to check and apply, and what happens if work is done without it.
- Extensions in conservation areas and listed buildingsWhich rear extensions still need no planning application in a conservation area in England, what always needs one, what a listed building adds, and how to give an application the best chance.
- Loft conversions in conservation areas and listed buildingsWhy a dormer or hip-to-gable needs an application in a conservation area in England, which rooflights are still allowed, what listed building consent covers in a roof, and how to improve the odds.
- Windows and doors in conservation areas and listed buildingsWhen replacing windows and doors needs no application in a conservation area in England, when an Article 4 direction changes that, what listed building consent covers, and how to get a change approved.
- Porches and front extensions in conservation areas and listed buildingsWhether a small porch still needs no application in a conservation area in England, why a front extension always does, what listed building consent covers at the front door, and how to get a porch approved.
- Garden rooms and outbuildings in conservation areas and listed buildingsWhere a garden room, shed or studio can go without an application in a conservation area in England, why a listed building's whole garden is different, what officers look at, and how to improve the odds.
- Driveways, fences and walls in conservation areas and listed buildingsHow a front driveway, a new fence, wall or gate, and taking down an old wall are treated in a conservation area or in the grounds of a listed building in England, and how to improve an application's chances.
- Solar panels in conservation areas and listed buildingsWhere solar panels still need no application in a conservation area in England, which cases need the council's say on appearance, why a listed house needs an application and consent, and how to improve the odds.
Process
- Lawful development certificatesWhat a lawful development certificate is, when it helps, what you send the council, how long it takes and what it costs in England.
- Finding planning applicationsWhere to look up planning applications, plans and decisions near you in England, and what the council's planning register holds.
- Planning fees and timescalesWhat a planning application costs in England, and how long the council has to decide it.
- Building without planning permissionWhat happens in England when work that needed planning permission is done without it, how long the council can act, and how to apply afterwards.
- Why planning permission gets refusedThe grounds councils in England use to refuse householder applications, what the officer is looking at in each, and what people change to get approved next time.
- Planning appealsWho can appeal a planning decision in England, the deadlines, how the Planning Inspectorate decides, and who pays the costs.
- Planning checks before buying a houseWhat to check on the planning side before you buy a home in England: extensions, flats, listed homes, conservation areas, new builds, green belt and nearby developments.
- Reapplying after a planning refusalAmend and reapply or appeal? How to read a refusal, whether a second application is free, how long each route takes in England, and when an appeal is the better choice.
- Planning consultant or architect?Whether a householder in England needs a planning consultant, architect or architectural technologist, what each does, when you can manage alone and how to check a professional.
Neighbours
- Building near a boundaryHow close a neighbour can build to your boundary in England, what planning controls, and where the Party Wall Act comes in.
- Objecting to a planning applicationHow to comment on a planning application in England, how long you have, and what planning officers can take into account.
- My neighbour has applied for planning permissionHow to find out about a neighbour's planning application in England, read the plans, know which worries count, and what happens if it is approved or built without permission.