Permitted Development

Some properties have Permitted Development (PD) rights. If your property does have PD rights, you may not need planning permission to undertake certain extensions or improvements to your home.

Does my property have Permitted Development rights?
Most properties do have certain PD rights. However, some properties will have had their PD rights removed, in which case, no development can be done without submitting an application.

Also, a property within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or a Conservation Area or if it is a Listed Building, is likely to be subject to stricter controls.

The new regulations
New regulations regarding Permitted Development came into effect on 1 October 2008. Amendments to these regulations have been made with effect for 6 April 2010.

There is an interactive section on the Planning Portal website (Opens new window to planning portal) which sets out guidance on the new rules:

Just click on the part the house you are planning to change and the relevant PD rules will be explained.

Let us help
If you are in any doubt about whether you require planning permission, we strongly recommend that you write to us, with a sketch plan of your proposals, at planning@southbucks.gov.uk or to Development Management, South Bucks District Council, Capswood, Oxford Road, Denham UB9 4LH before starting any work.

It is very difficult for us to give advice over the telephone, because we need to see the proposal clearly and have the opportunity to check planning records properly in order to give you the correct advice.

If you would like written confirmation that you do not need planning permission for a proposal, you need to apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness. This certificate, if granted, will enable you to prove, in future, that planning permission was not required for the work you have done to your house. This can be particularly useful when you come to sell your house.

Please make your application for a Certificate of Lawfulness via the Planning Portal ( www.planningportal.gov.uk ) or by using application form 15 from the list of forms from the Planning Applications Forms pages . In either case, please take note of our Local Requirements, details of which are available on the same webpage.

The new regulations in full
Please note that the regulations can be viewed as follows:

Regulations effective 1 October 2008 though the legislation website . (Opens new window)

Regulations effective 6 April 2010 through the legislation website: (Opens in new window)