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Car port? Planning?
cliftyhanger - 26/9/20 at 06:22 PM

Our house is on a corner plot. At the rear of the back garden we have a garage, and a double width driveway onto the road at the side of our house.
Am I allowed to build a carport over the driveway? The govt portal implies I can, but the car port would reach the boundary of the garden/pavement, but also be beyond the building line of the front of the house behind ours.(which is where it may be an issue?)

Anybody know?

Sam_68 - 26/9/20 at 06:49 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
Our house is on a corner plot.

... the car port would reach the boundary of the garden/pavement, but also be beyond the building line of the front of the house behind ours.


You're probably OK (the build line of the neighbouring property is irrelevant), but there are potential caveats and complications, so it would be wise to seek a 'certificate of lawfulness' before proceeding with the work.

mark chandler - 26/9/20 at 09:54 PM

When I did similar I just wrote to the council planning officer, provided a simple drawing and they said fine - no need fur anything else so got on with it.

ianhurley20 - 27/9/20 at 08:23 AM

I have a similar issue and went to the planning dept locally with a sketch and photographs. The car port would be at the side of our garage which is infront of our house and we needed planning approval. We later built an extension at the side of our house where there was a boundary to the road where there was a 10 ft high hedge. Through old age some had fallen down and I had replaced it with 3 6' fence panels. I took plans and photos and this time the extension did not need planning approval but did need building reg approval - hoorah! BUT - I would need retrospective planning approval for the 3 fence panels! I actually asked for planning approval to replace the entire hedge with fence panels and eventually got it which gave me 6' of extra garden when the hedge was removed. The only downside is that I now have 18 fence panels to paint every 2 years or so

I would visit your local planning dept for advice

cliftyhanger - 27/9/20 at 08:32 AM

Cheers chaps.
Brighton planning is a mess. They no longer speak to you unless it is a paid appt, last I heard several months wait and that was before covid.
I will draw some simple plans and see what they say. Or possibly just do it, outlay won't be huge. Biggest obstacle will be getting the Mrs to speak to her friend who lives in the house behind us, but as it is a steep hill, the structure may not be seen by them.

snapper - 27/9/20 at 04:23 PM

If you build it with a modular approach you could take a couple of sections out if it was considered to near the boundary
I would talk with neighbour and proceed.
People near me have extended garages down the drive using brick and felt roof

Sam_68 - 27/9/20 at 05:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by snapper
If you build it with a modular approach you could take a couple of sections out if it was considered to near the boundary

I suspect that it would be all or nothing, in that particular situation.

Thing is, at risk of making it sound all technical and complicated, Permitted Development rights are defined by a bit of legislation called the General Permitted Development Order. Local Authorities have no flexibility on interpreting this: either you comply with the rules or you don't.

Class A Domestic Permitted development rights, which allow extension of the main dwelling prohibit any PD extension that's beyond the side elevation, where the side elevation 'fronts' a side road. The precise wording is that:
"...development is not permitted [if]...the enlarged part of the dwellinghouse would extend beyond a wall which... fronts a highway and forms a side elevation of the original dwellinghouse"

Thing is, and this is the important bit outbuildings come under a separate section, Class E. The wording of that is different and does not prohibit outbuildings that extend beyond a wall which fronts a highway and forms a side elevation of the original dwellinghouse, though there are more complex rules that apply in some circumstances (for example if the house is listed, or sited in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, etc.).

The actual statutory instrument is here, if you want to read the rule for yourself (it's Schedule 2 that's the important bit):
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/contents/made

cliftyhanger - 29/9/20 at 07:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Sam_68


Thing is, and this is the important bit outbuildings come under a separate section, Class E. The wording of that is different and does not prohibit outbuildings that extend beyond a wall which fronts a highway and forms a side elevation of the original dwellinghouse, though there are more complex rules that apply in some circumstances (for example if the house is listed, or sited in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, etc.).

The actual statutory instrument is here, if you want to read the rule for yourself (it's Schedule 2 that's the important bit):
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/contents/made


Sam, thank you for pointing me to that.
As I live in an area with no specific restrictions, it seems I am OK. I did go and measure the distance from the house, as it seems over 20m would restrict the area to 10m2, I am looking at double that. But it will only be 12m from the house, so OK.
It just leaves the neighbours to approach. Annoyingly, they had a 2m high fence right up to the road next to where I want to put my canopy. However, when that blew over, that have tapered the last panel down to 1m on teh nice new fence, so it will be visible. Ho hum.

Sam_68 - 29/9/20 at 02:31 PM

I suppose that the other thing I should point out is that if your garage is non-PD compliant (eg. in terms of overall height), and you attach the carport to it, then you will need Planning Permission even if the design of the carport meets Permitted Development rules: on outbuildings it is the building overall that is assessed, not the 'extension' to it.

Mr Whippy - 29/9/20 at 02:42 PM

I built a car port on the side of my garage. The rules were if it was under 30m square and open at 2 sides I did not need planning permission at all. Off course I built it 5m x 6m which was more than enough for 2 cars.

Sam_68 - 29/9/20 at 06:34 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
I built a car port on the side of my garage. The rules were if it was under 30m square and open at 2 sides I did not need planning permission at all. Off course I built it 5m x 6m which was more than enough for 2 cars.


You're confusing Planning with Building Regulations. They are two completely different and unconnected systems, and the rules you've quoted are for B.Regs.

cliftyhanger - 30/9/20 at 07:21 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Sam_68
I suppose that the other thing I should point out is that if your garage is non-PD compliant (eg. in terms of overall height), and you attach the carport to it, then you will need Planning Permission even if the design of the carport meets Permitted Development rules: on outbuildings it is the building overall that is assessed, not the 'extension' to it.


My garage was carefully built to exactly comply. It is 30m2, overall height 2.5m.
Built 7 1/2 years ago. Nobody has ever said a word about it! I wish I had made it a tad wider and longer, but sods law means somebody would have complained.

Just trying to find a design that is easy on the eye, so many look either cheap and nasty, or look like small oak barns. I may even use steels for the roof part to keep teh height low and the roof thin. If I can find some tables to give me required dimensions. I guess snow is the thing to worry about. Haven't had any for years, but I guess a metre of snow gets mighty heavy.

James - 1/10/20 at 08:53 AM

quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
ago. Nobody has ever said a word about it! I wish I had made it a tad wider and longer, but sods law means somebody would have complained.

Just trying to find a design that is easy on the eye, so many look either cheap and nasty, or look like small oak barns. I may even use steels for the roof part to keep teh height low and the roof thin. If I can find some tables to give me required dimensions. I guess snow is the thing to worry about. Haven't had any for years, but I guess a metre of snow gets mighty heavy.



Show us what you decide as I'm in the market for a car port in the medium to long term

As for the snow issue... I may be talking out of my hat(as usual!) but I read on a DIY solar panel site that solar panels have a coating that makes snow slide off them. If such a thing exists, having the car port roof coated in it would seem a good idea.

Let us know how it goes!