Do I need Planning Permission for a Porch?

Porch Planning Permission

Benefits of a Porch

Adding a  porch to your home offers many benefits. The most compelling reason to add a  porch to your home is because doing so will help add some value to a home. The addition of a porch will also add some much needed space to a home and it also serves to make the home look more appealing.

The addition of a porch to your home will also help  reduce the costs of heating the home. In fact, when people enter and leave a home they will be opening as well as shutting the front door which will allow heat from within to escape. A porch in the home will however ensure that guests can remove their boots and jacket on the porch and then walk into the home without causing cold air to rush in.

A porch also provides a place where people coming to the home have a chance to remove their dirt ridden boots on the porch where these can then be neatly stacked. In addition, a porch also ensures that jackets can be hung outside. Both these aspects help ensure that the home remains warm in the winter and it also helps to keep the home clean.
It is also a good idea to create a small sized locker area on the porch where children can hang up their backpacks and jackets and also remove their shoes and place them outside the home.

Of course, before actually adding a porch to your home, it will necessary to be aware of the relevant planning regulations as your porch may require planning permission before you can build it.

Planning Permission for a Porch

You will not require planning permission for a porch providing that:

• The porch will not exceed 3 square metres in area when measured externally

• The height of the porch will not exceed three metres above ground level

• No part of the porch is within 2 metres of a highway (road, footpath, service road or garage court)

•  No planning conditions are attached to the original planning consent for the property

• The property is not in an area within which an Article 4 Direction is in force, such as a conservation area.

If your porch meets all the above condition, it is within your permitted development rights. You will need a Cert. of Lawful Development to have your proposals approved by your local council.

If the proposed porch is not wholly within land in your ownership (this includes guttering and foundations) planning permission will automatically be required.

If your property is a council house or a former council owned house then please consult with the  council’s legal division, as your property may be covered by a restrictive covenant.

If your porch will exceed any the conditions above, you will require planning permission prior to carrying out any building works

Find Out How Drawing and Planning can Help You With Planning Permission For Your Porch by calling 0208 202 3665