Planning permission??

[Dodgy69]

Thinking of adding a porch with toilet off front of house. Only needs to be big enough to do job intended.

All I can make sense of on council website is, planning not needed if within 3 sq meters. So, I understand this means, 1 meter out from current door position for example and a max of 3 meters wide. Would this be big enough for toilet, small sink, etc.

Anyone have any experience of this sort of thing.?

[Horse]

As well as 'now', think on for when you want to sell.

Whether or not you need PP, ie you can build uder 'permitted development', it can be useful to have proof that what you did was allowed at the time it was built. Rules change.

Either apply for full PP, or you can get (at half the price), a certificate when completed.


Does this help?
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permis ... permission

Welcome to the Planning PortalDo you need permission?Common projectsPorchesPlanning Permission
Porches
Planning Permission
Planning Permission
The planning rules for porches are applicable to any external door to the dwellinghouse.

Adding a porch to any external door of your house is considered to be permitted development, not requiring an application for planning permission, provided:

the ground floor area (measured externally) would not exceed three square metres.

no part would be more than three metres above ground level (height needs to be measured in the same way as for a house extension).

no part of the porch would be within two metres of any boundary of the dwellinghouse and the highway.

[iansoady]

With the "relaxation" of planning rules almost anything goes now. However, I'm not sure that it would still be considered a porch if it also included a toilet? IIRC the rules regarding extensions to the front of a house are still more restrictive than to the side or rear.

As Malcolm says you need to think ahead to selling as lots of sketchy additions can put people off.

[Horse]

within 3 sq meters. So, I understand this means, 1 meter out from current door position for example and a max of 3 meters wide. Would this be big enough for toilet, small sink, etc.

Total floor plan is, for example, 1m x 3m, or 1.7 x 1.7m.

How wide is your front door, and how wide will your new outer door be? You will need enough depth to open that door flat against the wall.

Don't forget that walls are about 300mm thick*, so your usable area is instantly 600m less width and 300mm less out from the house (the wall of which will need to be finished.

Do you have h+c water nearby in house, and conveniently close connection to sewerage?

* Which our B&Q kitchen planner overlooked ...

[Dodgy69]

The new outer door would be the only door, except the one to toilet. It wouldn't actually be a separate porch as such, just a brought forward front door and side door to toilet, that's what I'm thinking anyway.

Waste pipe is under drive and close by.

[Mr Moofo]

Isn't "front of house" different to "back of house"?
Our extension was done under Permitted development - but I can remember the restrictions - we went out by 2 metres at the side - and nothing at the back, but the allowances were generous at the time ( 6 years ago)

[Horse]

The new outer door would be the only door, except the one to toilet. It wouldn't actually be a separate porch as such, just a brought forward front door and side door to toilet, that's what I'm thinking anyway.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. Two aspect:
- new door opening 'in' - depth required
- 'corridor' width, which will need to be wider than the actual door

You lose that space off your 3m2. Along with wall thickness and a new interior wall.

Draw it out to see whether it fits, then find out whether a porch can include a toilet.

[Cousin Jack]

I intended to do something similar at a previous house but without the toilet. PP wasn't the problem, Building Regulations were. They turned a simple and quick DIY job into a major job that I gave up on. AFAIK PP has been relaxed, but BR get tighter every year.

[Horse]

I intended to do something similar at a previous house but without the toilet. PP wasn't the problem, Building Regulations were. They turned a simple and quick DIY job into a major job that I gave up on. AFAIK PP has been relaxed, but BR get tighter every year.

As an aside, a mate was building a single story conservatory/extension on his house. The ground sloped, so he did it on two levels, with steps to allow access for storage to the 'higher' area.

BC: "Hmm ... two storey building, so needs deeper foundations than you have put in ... "

Mate about to go ballistic.

BC "But I'm sure I can find a way around it." And did.

[v8-powered]

I intended to do something similar at a previous house but without the toilet. PP wasn't the problem, Building Regulations were. They turned a simple and quick DIY job into a major job that I gave up on. AFAIK PP has been relaxed, but BR get tighter every year.

Yep, we added a downstairs loo about 15 years back - no need for PP but BR were a nightmare