Change Of Rules Makes Extending Your Home Easier Than Ever

A high number of house moves take place because a family needs more space than their current property can provide. They say that moving home is one of life’s most stressful events, something that’s undeniable, and it costs a lot to do it too!

If you’re looking to move just because you need more space, you could be better off just extending your home, especially now that temporarily relaxed rules for home extensions in England have just become permanent.

The rules were first changed in 2013 by the Conservatives who opted to allow single-storey rear extensions of up to six metres for terraced or semi-detached homes, or eight metres for detached homes, to be built without planning permission. They did it to encourage more people to extend.

Since that time, it has incentivised around 110,000 people to expand their properties, causing the government to make this change in the rules a permanent one.

What’s good about it is that you don’t have to submit a planning application for an extension within these size limits. This avoids you having to pay £206 (the current cost of a planning application in England) and wait an average of 8-13 weeks to find out if the application has been successful.

All you have to do is notify your local authority of the building work so that they can inform your neighbours – this is called a Neighbour Consultation Scheme.

This is designed to give your neighbours the opportunity to raise any concerns or objections they have to the proposed work. If they receive any concerns or objections, your local authority will assess them and then decide if the extension can be built or not.

Has that given you some food for thought and made you lean more towards expanding your existing space? Speak to Eden Windows and together we can create a stunning home extension exempt from planning laws that will give you a new-found appreciation for home living.