Oeco Planning Permission

In the majority of cases you are allowed to have a garden building or structure built in your property's outside space without seeking planning permission.

However once you have decided to install a new Oeco garden building or structure at your location, it is important to make sure you comply with all the necessary permitted planning rules below.

All our garden buildings have been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the current planning permission permitted development rules and building regulation requirements.

Outbuildings are considered to be permitted development, not needing planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:

1. No outbuilding on land forward of a wall forming the principal elevation.
2. Outbuildings and garages to be single storey with maximum eaves height of 2.5 metres and maximum overall height of four metres with a dual pitched roof or three metres for any other roof.
3. Maximum height of 2.5 metres in the case of a building, enclosure or container within two metres of a boundary of the curtilage of the dwelling house.
4. No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
5. No more than half the area of land around the "original house"* would be covered by additions or other buildings.
6. In National Parks, the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites the maximum area to be covered by buildings, enclosures, containers and pools more than 20 metres from house to be limited to 10 square metres.
7. On designated land^ buildings, enclosures, containers and pools at the side of properties will require planning permission.
8. Within the curtilage of listed buildings any outbuilding will require planning permission.

* The term "original house" means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date). Although you may not have built an extension to the house, a previous owner may have done so.
^ Designated land includes national parks and the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites.

Please Note: The permitted development allowances described here apply to houses not flats, maisonettes or other buildings.

Oeco garden rooms, offices, studios, lodges and buildings have been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the permitted development regulations.

Important

As you can see from the above, garden buildings up to an internal floor area of 30 square metres are generally exempt from building regulations (Except when the structure is to be used for sleeping accommodation) This leads many garden room companies to claim their products "comply with current building regulations" when in reality what they mean is "our buildings do not have to comply with building regulations". Obviously it is much easier and cheaper for a company to build a garden building that does not comply with the current building regulations.

Garden rooms, offices, studios, lodges and buildings that are not built to building regulations will tend to have thin walls, floors, ceiling, minimal insulation (if any!), no air flow cavities, no vapour barriers or breathing membranes. Purchasing a garden building which does not comply with the latest building regulations will cost you much more in the long term. They will be more expensive to heat, minimal insulation and no air flow will result in moisture entering the structure - often reducing the life of the actual structure and damaging internal contents. The room will sweat in the summer months and be uninhabitable during the winter. It is fairly common for people to spend the same amount purchasing a garden building which is not built to building regulations than to purchase one that is.

Government's Planning Portal Website

For further information about the rules and regulations governing planning permission and building regulations, please visit the government's planning portal website.

All the information regarding planning and building regulations is based on the system in England. It is given as guidance only and should not be relied upon as definitive legal information.

For peace of mind we recommend that customers contact their local council planning department for specific advice.