Permitted development: what you can build in England without planning permission

A kitchen extension, a studio at the end of the garden, a new fence — in England none of these automatically means a trip to the council. Some work is allowed in advance under permitted development. But the rights come with hard limits in metres, and a single metre over turns a lawful extension into something an enforcement notice can reach.

One caveat first: all of this applies to houses in England. Flats and maisonettes have no such rights at all, so a flat owner needs permission in almost every case.

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What extension can you build without permission?

A single-storey rear extension of up to four metres for a detached house, and up to three metres for any other house. Such an extension cannot exceed four metres in height.

There is also the larger home extension route: eight metres for a detached house and six for others. It needs prior approval from the council, during which neighbours are notified and can object. On designated land the larger route is not available at all.

An extension of more than one storey is treated separately: it must not go beyond the original rear wall by more than three metres, must not come within seven metres of the boundary opposite that rear wall, and its roof pitch must match the existing house as far as practicable.

A side extension must be single storey, no more than four metres high, and no wider than half the width of the original house.

Which limits apply to every extension?

Three, and they rule out more projects than the depth figures do. First, the extension cannot be higher than the highest part of the existing roof. Second, it cannot be higher at the eaves than the existing eaves, and within two metres of a boundary the eaves height cannot exceed three metres. Third, and most often overlooked: only half the area of land around the original house may be covered by extensions and other buildings. "Original" means the house as it was first built, or as it stood on 1 July 1948 — not as you bought it. A previous owner's extension has already eaten part of your allowance.

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Do you need permission for a shed or garden office?

Usually not, if it fits the envelope. The building must be single storey, with eaves no higher than 2.5 metres, an overall height of up to four metres with a dual-pitched roof, or three metres for any other roof. But within two metres of a boundary the whole structure is capped at 2.5 metres — the classic trap in narrow British gardens.

Then the prohibitions: nothing may go on land forward of the wall forming the principal elevation; verandas, balconies and raised platforms are excluded, and a platform must not exceed 0.3 metres in height. The same half-the-garden rule counts outbuildings and extensions together. In National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites, buildings, enclosures, containers and pools more than 20 metres from the house are limited to 10 square metres in total. And within the grounds of a listed building, any outbuilding needs planning permission.

What about fences and garden walls?

Two numbers, and mixing them up is expensive. Next to a highway used by vehicles, or its footpath, a fence, wall or gate cannot exceed one metre in height from ground level. Anywhere else the limit is two metres. If a structure already exceeds those limits, its height simply cannot be increased.

The rights do not apply where a listed building is involved: not where any part of the site is listed or within its curtilage, and not where the boundary in question adjoins a neighbouring listed building or its curtilage. In a conservation area you may need permission even to take a fence or wall down.

What cancels these rights?

Two mechanisms worth checking before you buy materials. An Article 4 direction is a council decision removing permitted development rights across a particular area. A planning condition is a restriction attached to a permission already granted — common on new-build estates and converted properties. Separately, houses created by conversion or under change-of-use rights usually have no such rights. And on Article 2(3) designated land — conservation areas, AONBs, the Broads, National Parks and World Heritage Sites — all side extensions and all rear extensions of more than one storey need householder planning permission.

How do you make sure, and what happens if you build anyway?

The safeguard is a lawful development certificate. GOV.UK puts it plainly: anyone can apply to the local planning authority for a decision on whether an existing or proposed use or development is lawful. There are two kinds — existing, under section 191, and proposed, under section 192 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The application must be accompanied by the relevant fee; the amount and the decision time are worth checking with your own council.

The cost of getting it wrong is set out on GOV.UK in one line: if you do work that needed permission, you can be served an enforcement notice requiring you to undo all the changes. Ignoring one is illegal, though it can be appealed. Which is why the sensible first move is to contact your local planning authority through your council — that is where it is decided whether your project fits inside permitted development at all.