Planning permission is generally not required for a greenhouse, but it may be necessary if you want to place it in the front garden where it will be highly visible to passers-by and is not. The first step in building a lean-to greenhouse is to choose the right location, as it is important for several reasons, including climate, financial landscape, and easy temperature control. A well-designed lean-to greenhouse provides a controlled environment for nurturing plants, allowing you to enjoy fresh produce.
Building a lean-to greenhouse can be a rewarding DIY project, especially if you want to grow vegetables and flowers by yourself without having enough space in your backyard. However, it is essential to be aware of building regulations as they apply to all work. A well-designed lean-to greenhouse can be the first step in your journey as a greenhouse gardener, providing a better, enclosed, and controlled environment for growing vegetables and flowers.
Planning permission depends on your region, but it is best to check with your local building official to be sure. Structures that attach to your main house, such as awnings, may also need a permit regardless of size. If the greenhouse is attached to a building larger than 10m2, it will need a permit. Free-standing greenhouses may not need planning permission as long as they do not extend more than 3m out from the house and are not more than 3m high if they are a terrace house.
Attached greenhouses typically require a building permit because they are considered an addition to the home and not an accessory building. Planning consent is not always needed for glasshouses or greenhouses intended solely for domestic use, but there are many circumstances where greenhouses and sheds are considered permitted development, not needing planning permission, subject to certain limits and requirements.
📹 House Extension (Single Storey) – Do you need Planning Permission? UK Permitted Development
This video guide explains how single storey extensions can be constructed under Permitted Development (PD) rights in England …
Do you need planning permission for a greenhouse?
Garden buildings, greenhouses, or sheds must be approved by householder planning permission if they cover more than 50% of the total land around the house, are located at the front of the house, in a conservation area, in the grounds of a listed building, or at the side or front of a house covered by an Article 4 Direction. The building must be more than one storey high, 4m high with a pitched roof or 3m high with a flat roof, and within 2m of the house boundary. The eaves must be more than 2. 5m high, and the building must include a veranda, balcony, or raised platform. For more information, visit the outbuildings section of the national planning portal.
How do I avoid planning permission?
House extensions, garages, conservatories, loft conversions, roof windows, windows and doors, solar panels, and porches can be completed without planning permission, provided they meet certain limits and conditions. Planning permission can be time-consuming and tedious, but some home improvements don’t require local authority consent, except for listed buildings or areas of outstanding natural beauty. Garages can be built in your garden or on the land around your house without the need for planning permission.
What is the 3 second rule in lean?
Visual Management is a technique that involves observing a situation from a 5-meter distance in a period of 3 seconds. This allows for immediate action to be taken to restore the situation to normal, enabling quick intervention before issues escalate. This approach is applicable not only to employees in a specific area but also to other team members or senior management. By eliminating the time to assess a situation, time can be spent on improving it. Visual Management is applicable in various settings such as manufacturing, service industries, healthcare, and project management.
Can I put a greenhouse next to a fence?
To keep your greenhouse warmer and more efficient, ensure at least 1 meter of space around the entire outside perimeter. This allows access to all sides for panel replacement and makes cleaning easier. Place the greenhouse near a wall to avoid issues with dirty glass and green algae. Keep fresh produce close to your kitchen, as a position closer to the house can make it easier to access fresh produce while cooking in the kitchen. Ideally, the greenhouse should be placed at the bottom of a large garden for easy access to water taps and mains electricity.
What is lean and is it legal?
Lean, also known as “purple drank”, is an illicit substance made with codeine, cough syrup, soda, hard candy, occasionally alcohol, and promethazine. It is commonly used by teens and young adults at parties or in social settings due to its sweet taste and prevalence in pop culture, specifically in the music and entertainment industries. The name “lean” comes from the effect it has on people who drink it, as they tend to slouch or lean to one side more they consume the substance.
The effects of codeine are similar to those of other addictive opioids like oxycodone and heroin. Common effects of lean include euphoria, relaxation, feeling tired and slow, irritability, dizziness, and loss of coordination.
What if there is no planning permission?
In accordance with the Act, any development that is not in accordance with the approved plan, or that is carried out without the requisite permission, is considered to be unauthorised. Such unauthorised development may result in the property being demolished, unless the necessary permission is obtained.
What is classed as a lean-to?
A lean-to is a structure with a sloping roof that is attached to one wall of a larger building. The earliest known alterations included the replacement of an external lean-to, as documented in the Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.
Do I need a building permit for a greenhouse Ontario?
It is a requirement that building permits be obtained for the construction of greenhouses, Quonset huts, and pre-engineered metal buildings intended for use as permanent structures.
What happens if you build without a permit in Ontario?
The Building Code Act, 1992, outlines penalties for violating the Act, including fines of up to $50, 000 for a first offense and $100, 000 for subsequent offenses. Corporations can face fines of up to $500, 000 for a first offense and $1, 500, 000 for subsequent infractions. Failure to comply with municipal building department orders is also an offense. Additional permits and approvals may be required, such as those from the Ontario Heritage Act, Conservation Authority, and Ministry of Transportation, which are considered applicable law. Generally, these laws must be complied with before a building permit is issued.
What is the largest structure you can build in Ontario without a permit?
The Ontario Building Code has recently allowed for sheds up to 160 square feet to be built without a building permit, but any structure larger than 160 square feet requires a permit. Custom builders in Ottawa serve Ottawa and surrounding areas, and their timeline varies from season to season due to many projects tied to pool installations and large landscaping projects. As a result, they can schedule new clients on short notice, as they cannot build at the scheduled location until the pool or landscaping company is ready for them. This is beneficial for those wanting their shed built before winter.
How close to the property line can I build a greenhouse?
Zoning permits are essential for greenhouse owners to ensure they comply with local regulations and zoning requirements. They determine the location of the greenhouse on the property, determining how close to lot lines it can be built. Some communities may require the greenhouse to be built at least 20 feet away from the lot lines. Zoning permits also regulate the number of accessory buildings, such as greenhouses, sheds, and outbuildings, on the property. The size of the building also plays a role in the zoning department’s decision.
Building permits, issued by county building departments, are based on structural integrity and physical appearance. Most urban areas have specific requirements for greenhouses, addressing wind and snow loads. Freestanding greenhouses do not require permits, while attached greenhouses typically require a permit as they are considered an addition to the home. It is crucial for potential greenhouse owners to consult their local zoning department to understand the impact of zoning and building permits on their area.
📹 THE UGLY SECRET of NO BUILDING PERMIT
Ever wanted to build a cabin not sure how to get around the permits needed. Most people aren’t even sure where to begin.
Interesting article. Planning Permission – when do you need it; and when is something Permitted Development? These can be quite complex questions and the answers to them depend on various matters such as if your property is a house, a detached house, a semi-detached house, a flat, if you are on a corner plot, if your property has been previously altered, is it a Listed Building, are you in a Conservation Area, have Permitted Development rights been removed from your property. You should always contact your local Council Planning team before you do anything as they will be able to advise on the specifics as they relate to your property. They may have a pre-application advice service, or PD enquiry process. Building Warrant is a separate process, and again you should contact your Buildiing Control / Building Standards officers in your local Council. What this article relates to is how the legislation applies in England and Wales. The legislation in Scotland is different, so anything referred to in the article does not apply!
Useful article. I definitely agree with “seek expert advice” when dealing with anything that is in the many grey areas of PD rights. However, don’t necessarily assume advice given by the local authority’s own planning dept. is ‘expert’! I wanted to have an old (pre-1948) single skin, no damp course, rear lean to extension demolished & rebuilt, maintaining the rear elevation, but extending it to the side of the property (less than 30% increase in total width of the property) Despite numerous builders saying planning wouldn’t be required, I opted to pay the local council’s planning dept. to evaluate whether the proposed plans fell within PD. (Called a “Pre-Application Enquiry”) They were initially unsure, but after referring to a senior advisor, concluded it would be PD-compliant. I did not however follow through with the additional fees for a certificate of lawfulness. Fast forward 3 years, extension has been up 2 years, and a different planning enforcement officer has investigated the development, deemed it not to be compliant, and declared the prior advice to be incorrect. Thankfully the officer also deemed it not to be expedient to pursue an enforcement action against me; probably because it would bring to light their own depts. incompetence. It’s also not completely clear to me whether this second evaluation is any more correct than the 1st. I believe: – ‘demolition’ of a building is automatically not PD. HOWEVER… – removing a portion of the ‘original house’ (existed pre-1948) is not ‘demolition’, it’s an ‘alteration’ Does an ‘alteration’ of an existing (pre-1948) extension, down to ground level, fresh footings etc, invalidate the original bounds for the purposes of PD?
Yes it’s good info! And easy to understand especially when you use a 3d model. However you may have forgotten if the house is a corner House building side extension does need the other side of the road neighbor permeation ? Also have you thought about making articles talking about fully wood build extensions ? Thanks for your time. Ali
Hi! The best explanations I could find, thank you. I want to build a conservatory at the rear, I live in a terraced house. I would like to know how close to the neighbour’s fence it can be, how wide and how tall, also if it can have a pitched tiled roof, all of these without planning permission. Thank you very much in advance.
Really helpful, we have an integral garage (new build, master bedroom above) we would like to utilise that garage space. I’m not asking for advise here, merely helping you produce a list of article content on which to build (pun) your you tube website. (in time we might benefit) On this article, The 3d graphics make it easy to digest, great work, thanks for making and sharing.
Hi this is an amazing article and answered tons of questions I had. I’m looking at having a single story side extension with duel pitched roof built on our house, my final question is there any rules about how close I can go to the boundary to the neighbours house? we only have around 7ft wide space so want to maximize the room I have
I’d love to know how whoever got planning permission for my house got it. I’m looking at the first few minutes and thinking no, wrong and hmmm maybe. For a start a porch extension 3.5 metres forwards But the kicker is a rear single storey extension double pitched roof on the neighbours side of our semi which runs the full width of the house all the way to about 30cm from garages at the bottom of the garden, a full 5.25 metres wide by 17.5 metres long. It’s the reason we bought the house and the reason I clicked on this article.
Hi there, thanks for this article. I liked and subscribed. What happens with the 3 meter height rule when there is a ground level difference between the two properties? So lets say what would be 3m on the extension side is 3.7meter on the neighbours side? How does such a ground level difference work out under the permitted developments rule? Also, can the extension be built right up on the neighbouring fence by partially replacing the fence itself with the walls of the extension? (The fence is owned by the extending property. Semi detached) Many thanks in advance.
Great article and I sent it to a few of my colleagues, as we get this question regularly. It is worth getting the Lawful Development Certificate before the work is started or at least on completion, as it will always sought by the solicitor on sale of the house whereupon it could take weeks or months to obtain delaying the sale. If I missed it, did you say these only apply to properties with no existing extensions?
Great article. If the extension is on the rear of a semi-detached house, the eaves cannot be more than 3 meters because of the boundary. However could you have a 4 meter high wall on the boundary with the roof sloping away from the boundary reducing to 3meters eaves at the opposite side approximately 3 meters away?
Thanks for providing such a clear article in PD, I have just one question, I have a detached property and intend to build a single storey extension to the rear. It falls within the pd format but I would like to make it 6m from the rear of my property, I am struggling to find out how to submit a prior t notification to cover this. Do you have any advice on this please?
Hi thanks for the article. If a property has a existing garage to thr side of the house.would I be able to build a full back single storey extension by 4 metres for a detached house? Or would this be classified as a wrap around as the existing garage also 4m back from the back of the house? Thanks I have liked and subbed
Thank you for your article. Can I ask a question regarding shed/work-shed builds please. I have a detached house in the country. My garden is about 1 acre in size. I have no immediate neighbours having open fields around. I am able to build away from any of my boundaries and the workshop would be visible to no one. I will not be used for residential purposes. Storage and recreational use only. What is the max size shed I would be permitted given the space available, and no impact experienced by anyone. Many thanks.
This is such a helpful article! I do have a question on the 3m eaves height though…the house we are buying is an Edwardian terrace and we’d like to do a side return extension, however the house is about 4 steep steps up from the back yard’s ground level. So does the 3m height rule go from the floor level of the house or ground level of the outside space? Thank you 🙂
Im planning to build a rear single storey extension across the back of my house hopefully under PD. Because of this im was under the impression i was limited to 3m going out and only running the width or the house which seems to be correct. What i am slightly confused on is that you seem to say although you cant go past the existing side wall you can buold a side extension. And then you state you cant build a wrap-around (side extension and rear) how does that work if both are independently allowed?? Seems strange. Could you build a rear first under PD and then also build a side extension later also under permitted development? Then basically giving you a wrap around or have i totally missed the point here 🤔 apologies if i have, im just trying to work out my limits tbh. We are desperate to start as we really need the additional room and dont want to have to wait another 6-8months for planning but ideally we would like to buold a little bigger and adding to the side as well could be an answer. Also your advice about the possibilities of going further than 3m under DP with neighbour consultation is a possibility but how long does this generally add to the process?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated 👏
I’ve not read all comments so I don’t know if this has been mentioned. But… do you know why you can extend on the side / extend to the rear / the side can go past the rear elevation BUT you cannot extend on the rear AND go past the gable elevation under PD? There is overlap contradiction for me. Thank you for the article 👍
In the UK, havering area, the larger homes extension guide says that we cannot have a rear extension more than half the width of the original house under permitted development. Can someone confirm this for me please? Does this mean that we can extend the full width of the house under planning permission? What about the full width of the garden, including the garage?
Hi, our rear extension is 4m from the rear of the original building. Our neighbour (who is a landlord) has put in an application for a 6m full width rear extension (which I think is approx 50% of the rear garden) – I think this is too big and overbearing, especially as we are a terrace block of houses and the gardens are of moderate size. I have received the consultation notice from the council and we plan to object to a 6m extension (as is the neighbour on the other side), but what are the best arguments of objection? I will need to work our if their 6m extension leaves at least 7m from their rear garden fence (I didn’t realise that was a thing), so I could argue that. Also our extension was 1ft within the boundary line with the neighbour who wants the extension. We have the soil waste pipe that exits the side of the extension and runs along the 1ft gap and connects to the manhole drain (all within our boundary and was signed off by building control), and there is the exit of the toilet extractor fan on that same wall. If the neighbour’s extension is built upto the planned boundary line, we won’t have access to clear up this small area and we won’t be able to repair and maintain (or even replace if in an emergency) this soil pipe as it will be impossible to access as the gap will be too small to fit through, . Can we demand that they build 1ft within their boundary line? Thanks
Hi Hope you are doing well. I am looking to build rear extension, well wrap around rear + side part single part double, for what i have gathered info on line, the 45% angel for ground floor is basically not letting me have square rear ground floor extension to the depth i want 6meters. If my neighbors object, I’m sure they will knowing them, although their pergola and fence and hedging is basically covering the sides but they will object so basically the question is how can i go about being able to build up to 6mter ground floor rear extension which by rule will effect the 45% angel. I appreciate your advice in advance.
Hi there, thanks for the article. I am still struggling to find an answer about whether I need prior approval or planning. My 1930s semi currently has a long (6m) and narrow (2.5m) extension. I am looking at reducing the length to 4m but increasing width to 5m inline with the house. Can this be done under PD or is the maximum still 3m from original house? One neighbour has 6m extension and the other (the one I am attached to) has a 3m extension. Thanks in advance
I’m confused as to what is permitted if you own a corner plot that borders front and side roads. There are no articles that I can find covering this. Can you help? If I wanted to build a single story side extension the same depth as original house but no more than 50% of original width would this be allowed ? Not in any conservation area etc.
Hi Simon, I can’t seem to get an answer anywhere. If a council have a deadline for comments, and the Highways management make a comment 2 days after that deadline. Should it be allowed? Also when I highlighted with the council that the comment was made after the deadline, later that day when I went online and looked at the application again, they’d changed the deadline to that days date. Also the new rule came in a month after we resubmitted our application. Tia for any help.
On a terraced house if I want to add a kitchen extension can I build it full width so it becomes the boundary between both my neighbours or does there have to be a gap between us? I am guessing there would need to be a Party Wall Agreement but I really dont know. Would it be less hassle just to leave a gap anyway?
One caveat! Local councils in the UK often have a 45° policy stating a rear projection cannot go taller or longer than a line drawn from the centre* of the neighbours closest window to a habitable room such as a living room. This can be appealed against, but it’s not just loss of light, it also considers “residential visual amenity”, and if the neighbour thinks it’s “overbearing” that can be enough to make your appeal unsuccessful. This isn’t in The Town and County Planning documentation so it’s very easy to get caught out by it! Especially since there appears to be no objective metric for acceptability. You could get blocked from building something 3.3m projection, that protrudes over the top of the fence by 0.1m down the length, but simultaneously legally be allowed to build out to 3m projection with a height that protrudes 1.6m above the fence line. The rejected 3.3m projection increases obstruction by 0.33m², whilst the PD option is 1.6m². Logic, reasoning, metrics, and rational don’t have influence on the decision. If the neighbour doesn’t like it then that’s enough depending upon the disposition of the LPA and potentially Planning Inspectorate. *for patio doors it’s sometimes a set height above floor height.
We’ve had problems with the developer doing up the house next door to my Dad’s, his light is blocked, wifi line damaged, car damaged, and now this arsehole has put pipes into the side of the house and drilled a hole in the concrete (on Dad’s land), we are concerned it’s because water is going to spray out of these pipes and he wants it to drain onto Dad’s land. Even if it’s just steam coming out the pipes they are very close to the border and Dad’s back door is right in line with two of them. Not seen anything like it on other houses. Two storey extension (with planning not approved). Greedy man who wants a fat profit with no concern for a pensioner or any other neighbour. Can I get anyone out to check these pipes and hole in the ground?
Hi Architect, I am re-roofing the rear single story extension of my semi detached house. I am changing the roof from flat to a pitched roof. The extension dimensions are exactly the same, only thing changing is the pitched roof which will now be 30 degrees. Do I need planning permission for this? Many thanks!