Do you require planning permission to work from your garden room?
Many people are visiting this site looking for a building they can work from or run a business in. We know buyers are unsure if they will need to apply for Planning Permission to do this.
There is a lot written about garden room Planning Permission and Permitted Development that content actually relates to the building, but not so much about your position in relation to the type of work you will be undertaking in your garden room.
You may be building a garden room that complies with Permitted Development, but your intended use may still mean it requires planning approval. So it is best to check out your position.
The definitive resource for Planning Permission queries is the Planning Portal. On the Planning Portal, a section of the site is dedicated to working from home.
Working from home planning permission
The Planning Portal's guide to working from home asks you to consider the following questions. If you answer 'yes' to any of them, you will need to apply for Planning Permission:
- 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?
The article goes on to explain that the critical test is whatever the work you are doing, is your house & garden still predominately a 'home' or has it become business premises?
The Planning Portal suggests to be sure of your position regarding working from home and planning permission, you apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.
Don't fall foul of the planning rules
It is wise to thoroughly investigate your position regarding working from a garden room. It would be worth applying for pre-planning advice from your Local Authority because, in the worst-case scenario, they can stop you from using the space for work.
Over the years, we have heard of situations where personal trainers using their garden room as a gym or hairdressers or beauty therapists using their building as a salon have fallen foul of the planning rules.
In these cases, the owners had not applied for planning permission to run a business from their garden room. The constant movement of clients visiting, the associated parking of cars in the residential area, noise etc., was causing disruption in the neighbourhood.
Following complaints from neighbours, the Local Authority investigated the situation. The owners submitted retrospective planning applications. In some cases, approval was then granted. In other cases, it wasn't, and they had to stop using the garden room for their work.