Many household projects fall within permitted development rights (PDR) however, when it comes to altering roofscapes and installing roof terraces or if your property lies within a conservation area then it is likely an application for planning permission will be required.
Often it is worth having your scheme drawn up and having a consultant submit a pre application consultation. This allows the local authority to provide written comment and flag up any potentially contentious issues before the planning application is submitted.
It is worth remembering that a planning authority cannot refuse an element of a design scheme while approving the rest. A pre application consultation may provide the opportunity to refine the design proposal and if necessary, redesign the element that may jeopardise the rest of the scheme.
Extension and alteration in the Preston Park Conservation Area
By way of example my client had previously obtained the services of architect who had submitted an application for the extension and alteration to the rear of their Victorian semi-detached house in the Preston Park Conservation Area. The application was refused.
We then revisited the design based on the reasons for the original refusal and made a pre application consultation to the local authority to establish the acceptability in principle of my client’s desire to alter and extend.
The local authority response allowed us to refine the scheme, to incorporate the elements the client was looking for while ensuring we had a proposal that Brighton & Hove City Council planning and heritage teams could approve.
