Lifestyle, food and drink, and our family life and travel adventures.
Pergolas can provide the perfect space to enjoy your garden all year round. Constructed from posts and beams, glass walls, and even built-in lighting and audio, they allow you to relax and socialise outdoors whilst protected from the elements. As well as being highly practical structures, pergolas are also very stylish, adding a wealth of elegance to an outside space. If you’re interested in installing a pergola in your garden, you may be wondering if you need planning permission. Read on to find out if and when planning permission is required for a pergola.
Whether you’re planning to use it for relaxing, dining or entertaining, it’s important to make sure that your pergola stays within planning rules. The good news is that planning permission isn’t usually required for a garden pergola. This means that you can go ahead with the installation without consulting with your local planning authority. However, whilst you don’t normally need consent to build this structure in your garden, there are some exceptions to the rule. Consider the following points before installing a pergola.
When working out if your pergola needs planning permission, you’ll need to consider the property’s location. If your home is classed as a listed building or it’s in a protected area such as an Area of Outstanding Beauty, it may not be possible to build a pergola. Find out the rules surrounding this from your local council.
You’ll now need to consider how much of your total land you’ll be using. According to Permitted Development Rights, you must not use more than half of it for outdoor buildings. This includes pergolas, sheds and a number of other structures. As long as you won’t have used more than 50% of the land once the pergola is built, planning permission won’t be necessary.
The next thing you’ll need to consider is where you will place your pergola. If you were hoping to install it outside the front of your house, you’ll be disappointed. You won’t be able to place it at the front of your home, which is otherwise known as the principal elevation. Other areas in your garden will also need to be considered carefully. You’ll need to take into account its proximity to your neighbours’ boundaries since this will determine how high you can build it. Permitted Development Rights state that you can’t build raised platforms, verandas or balconies. This means you won’t be able to build a pergola on these structures.
You’ll need to think about how high you want your pergola to be. This is because Permitted Development Rights state that this structure can’t be more than 4 metres high for a pitched roof, and 3 metres high for other roof types. If it’s within 2 metres of a boundary, it must not exceed 2.5 metres. Pergola’s height must not exceed 2.5m if within 2m of a boundary. This is to ensure that it doesn’t interfere with your neighbour’s view.
A garden pergola can be a fantastic addition to your outside space. Contact Oakfields to find out more about installing a bespoke pergola in your garden.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
Contact: [email protected]
