Question 1

What is the difference between planning permission and permitted development?

Accepted Answer

**Planning permission** is explicit consent from the local planning authority for a specific proposal. **Permitted development (PD)** is a national grant of planning permission for certain types of work, so no application is needed — provided you stay within defined limits.

**Permitted development is not a loophole.** It is planning permission already given by statute, subject to conditions.

**What PD typically covers**, within limits on size, height, position and materials: many single-storey rear extensions, loft conversions within volume allowances, outbuildings, porches, some hard surfacing, and certain changes of use.

**The limits are detailed and unforgiving.** Depth from the original rear wall, total height, eaves height, how close to a boundary, proportion of garden covered, and whether materials are similar in appearance. Exceeding any single limit by a small margin means the whole thing needs planning permission.

**"Original" is a trap.** Allowances are measured against the house **as originally built** (or as at 1948), not as you bought it. A previous owner's extension consumes your allowance.

**Where permitted development does not apply, or is restricted:**

**Listed buildings** — listed building consent is separately required and PD rights are heavily curtailed.

**Conservation areas**, National Parks, AONBs and World Heritage Sites, where rights are reduced.

**Flats and maisonettes**, which generally have no PD rights at all.

**New-build estates**, where an **Article 4 direction** or planning conditions on the original consent may have removed PD rights.

**What to do.** Even where you believe work is permitted development, apply for a **Lawful Development Certificate**. It costs a fee and confirms in writing that consent was not required — which you will need when you sell, and which protects you from enforcement.

**Building Regulations are entirely separate** and apply regardless of whether planning permission is needed. Conflating the two is very common.

Question 2

What is involved in buying a plot and building your own home?

Accepted Answer

Considerably more than buying a house — you take on the roles of developer, project manager and client simultaneously, and the risks concentrate in the land purchase, which is where most self-build

Question 3

How is a property boundary actually determined?

Accepted Answer

Not by the title plan — which is the fact that resolves, or prevents, most boundary disputes. Registered title plans show only "general boundaries", and are explicitly not a statement of the exact

Question 4

What is a conservation area, and what is an Article 4 direction?

Accepted Answer

A conservation area is a designated area whose character or appearance is worth preserving. An Article 4 direction is a tool that removes permitted development rights within a defined area — and the

Question 5

What is a park home, and what are the rules?

Accepted Answer

A factory-built residential unit sited on a licensed park, where you own the home and rent the pitch it stands on — a split that produces a legal position unlike either freehold or leasehold and that

Question 6

What is a restrictive covenant on a property?

Accepted Answer

A restrictive covenant is a legally binding obligation registered against land, limiting what the owner may do with it. Crucially, it runs with the land — it binds future owners, not just whoever

Question 7

What is a party wall agreement and when do I need one?

Accepted Answer

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 governs building work affecting walls and boundaries shared with a neighbour in England and Wales. It is a legal obligation, not a courtesy, and ignoring it has real

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