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Wednesday 07 November 2018

The Importance of Obtaining Planning Permission

With a landlord recently receiving a fine of over £82,000 for not obtaining the permission to modify their listed building (source), it is important to remember to obtain the appropriate permission before proceeding with any work.

The Grade II listed, 16th Century house in Horsham had several original features removed, in addition to walls, floors and beams. A Grade I scheduled ancient monument, located beneath the house, also had concrete poured into it to strengthen the foundations of the house. However, the landlord had not obtained the appropriate permission for the work and was fined £22,000 for the two charges of executing works, plus a £120 victim surcharge and £60,592.48 in costs.

Listed buildings or properties in conservation areas under Article 4 direction require planning permission before making any changes to the windows and doors. This is a legal requirement, meaning if you do not obtain permission prior to the work being carried out you can be fined.

If you are in a conservation area that is not under Article 4 direction, new windows and doors can be installed providing that they are ‘in keeping’. This means that the general appearance of the house or the area must be retained within reason. There is no legal requirement to obtaining planning permission before changing the windows or doors on these properties.

For more information on carrying out work on the windows and doors in listed buildings, or in properties within conservation areas, view our Listed Building and Conservation Area Guide.

If you are unsure whether you require planning permission for the work you are looking to carry out we would always recommend that you contact your local council, who will be able to advise you.

If planning permission is required, councils will often require technical drawings of any proposed windows or doors. We are happy to supply these to support your planning application once an order has been placed.

To obtain a free, no obligation quotation, contact us on: 01344 868 668.

You may also be interested in:
Replacing your windows and doors
Replacing windows in a Conservation Area
Living in a listed building – what do I need to know?
Secondary glazing for listed buildings

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