PLANNING PERMISSION AND BUILDING REGULATIONS
FOR GUERNSEY CLIENTS
Planning Laws in Guernsey differ to those currently in place in the UK.
As a general rule the erection of a Garden Room within the curtilage of a dwelling-house, to be used solely for the non-commercial purposes of that dwelling-house, does not require planning permission provided that the Garden Room does not extend forward of any elevation of the dwelling-house that faces a highway and where the Garden Room is not within a conservation area.
Unless Planning Permission is in place Garden Rooms cannot be placed within 1 metre of the boundary of a neighbouring property and the height of that part does not exceed 2 metres.
Currently Garden Rooms do not require planning permission as long as the base area does not exceed 20 square metres and no part of the Garden Room is located more than 30 metres from the dwelling-house and there is only one such structure within the curtilage.
Should all of the above work for you then you do not require Planning Permission however we do recommend that you enquire and if in doubt complete an Exemption Form available through Gov.gg or we can provide.
Should any of your requirements sit outside the above then planning permission will most likely be required, however don’t panic, as we can help with the process through our partners in the architectural profession that have helped many of our clients through the process.
Guernsey Guidance Link
https://gov.gg/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=3251&p=0
Exemptions form Link
FOR UK MAINLAND CLIENTS
A Garden Room (or Summer House) from Garden Rooms CI Ltd is like having an extra room to your house in your garden.
There are however certain planning laws that need to be adhered to.
The good news is that in the UK mainland a Garden Room will, in most cases, not require planning permission. Our rooms are classed as an outbuilding and fall within Permitted Developments under existing UK planning laws.
There are some restrictions if your property is in a conservation area, a World Heritage Site, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or a national park. If your house is in such an area, you will not be permitted to add an outbuilding to the front or side of your house without obtaining planning permission, and if you want to add an outbuilding over 20 metres from the main building, it must be not larger than 10 metres squared. If you live in a listed building, you will not be allowed to put an outbuilding in the grounds without planning permission.
Also, outbuildings (including our garden rooms) are not permitted development if they are forward of the ‘principle elevation’ of your property. This means that you cannot place a garden room in your front garden without planning permission.
Size wise your Garden Room must not be larger than 50% of the total area of land around the house, giving you plenty of scope, and must not be separate living accommodation. There are also restrictions on how high an outbuilding can be, no higher than 4.5 metres, or 2 metres if it is within 2 metres of the property boundary. Anything outside of this will need planning permission.
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