Business planning

Planning permission is not always required. Changes to the inside of buildings, and small alterations to the outside of the building such as the installation of telephone connections and alarm boxes, generally do not require planning permission. Other small changes, for example putting up boundary walls and fences below a certain height, can be "permitted development" for which a specific application is not required.

Working from Home

You do not necessarily need planning permission to work from home. The key test is whether the overall character of the dwelling will change as a result of the business. If the answer to any of the following questions is "yes", then permission will probably be needed:

• Will your home no longer be used mainly as a private residence?
• Will your business result in a marked rise in traffic or people calling?
• Will your business involve any activities unusual in a residential area?
• Will your business disturb your neighbours at unreasonable hours or create other forms of nuisance such as noise or smells?
• Will you need to extend your house specifically to accommodate the new business?

Whatever business you wish to carry out from your home, whether it involves using part of it  for "bed and breakfast" accommodation, using a room as your personal office, providing a childminding service, using rooms for hairdressing, dressmaking or music teaching, or using buildings in the garden for repairing cars or storing goods connected with a business – the key test is: is it still mainly a home or has it become a business premises where the business use is having a noticeable impact on the character of the neighbourhood? To avoid any doubt on this type of issue, you may wish to write in to the planning department with details of your proposal and then further detailed advice can be given.

Change of Use

Click here for further details on Change of Use

Extending Premises

Minor extensions, including the erection of additional buildings within the curtilage, may not need a planning application because the development is already permitted under Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. The guidance below indicates when, in general, an application for permission will or will not be required.

Factory or Warehouse Extensions 

Planning permission will not normally be required if your extension is:

• less than 1000 square metres of floor space
• less than 25 per cent of the volume of the original building
• below the height of the original building

The extension must be related to the current use of the building or the provision of staff facilities. Planning permission will be required if the extension:

• materially affects the external appearance of the building
• comes within five metres of the boundary of the site
• reduces the amount of space available for parking or turning of vehicles

Volume is calculated from external measurements. "Original" means as first built, or as the building stood on 1 July 1948, if built before then.

Building New Premises

The construction of new premises nearly always needs an application for planning permission. The Local Plan will give you some indication of whether your proposal is likely to be acceptable, so it is worth talking to a planning officer before submitting an application. If there are difficulties, officers may be able to suggest ways to make your proposal more acceptable.

Advertisements and Signs

For further information concerning advertisements please consult the DCLG's Guide to Advertisements and Signs.

Dropped Kerbs / Crossovers

Click here for further details on Dropped Kerbs

Listed Buildings

You must apply for Listed Building Consent if:

• You want to knock down all or part of a Listed Building (that is, a building that is on the list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest approved by the Secretary of State); or
• You want to alter or extend a listed building in a way that would affect its character.

You must apply for Conservation Area Consent if:

• You want to knock down a building that isn't listed, but is in a Conservation Area, unless the building is less than 115 cubic metres in volume. Please contact a planning officer for further advice about the need for this type of consent
• NB Conservation area consent is basically related to demolition and is NOT required for alterations and extensions to buildings in conservation areas.

Agriculture

For further information concerning agricultural developments please consult the DCLG's Farmer's Guide to Planning.

Making an Application

For more information regarding how to submit an application please go to the following link: Making an application