NEW INFORMATION
In July 2020 the goverment have updated information on planning, building higher without planning permission.
However you will still need to contact the planning department to notify them of what you are planning to doing.
PLANNING AND BUILDING CONTROL DEPARTMENT OFFICE.
Planning home improvements can be a complicated procedure if you don’t know were to begin.
Before you decide on your new home improvement, the question is will i need planning permission?
New changes brought in 2013, some extensions and structural alterations now will only require a building notice and will not require drawings and planning permission.
Simple design and build procedure following out with regular building inspections.
A floor area of 10 metres square will usually only require a building notice and not any planning permission.
Your building notice form only covers for building regulation inspections not planning.
If your extension is more than 10 meters square floor area then you will require to apply for planning.
You can however still build a double storey extension even if the floor area is 10 meters square.
If you decide to build any new extension it is still in the interest of the client not the builder to check for planning.
You may still have to apply for planning if you are under 10 meters square, if for instance requiring building on or against a boundary wall using the boundary wall as part of your extension. Check within the required distance from your boundary line also as this may come under planning. Also check against side extensions near a main road or even to the front i.e. a porch.
Most rear extensions 10 meter floor area are within building notice only but always check first with the building regulation department before submitting the form and any commencement of work. Building regulations department will only guide you not tell you if you require planning permission, so please do not become confused. Work may commence and regular visits by the building inspector passing work will carry on as normal, but if planning should of been submitted even if the work is being built to regulations, the planning department may still make you take it down.
Guidance can be found on the Wirral borough council website about building control and planning.
Always check before any commencement of work if planning is required, you can however pay a small fee if unsure and have an answer back within a week or two. For this you will require downloading the form, small drawing or sketch of what you’re planning on doing along with some photographs of your existing property.
Building notice only; work can usually be started within 24 hours after the application has been submitted.
The planning department office and the building regulation department office do not work together when submitting forms so you will need to contact each department separately.
If planning permission is required. Ensure you give your application enough time to be checked over before contacting your local builder or building servives company for a quoation.
This could take upto 8 weeks once you have submitted your application form.
You can however check over with the planning department and send in photographs with a downloaded form to see if you do require planning permissio, as you could pay out for drawings in advance to find out planning can not be excepted.
It is in your best interest to check this over firstly. You may have to pay a small fee to the planning department in advance before you submit your application and drawings.
Spending hundreds on drawings to find out you can not get permission.
So always double check and do your homework before you layout your hard earn money and savings.
Please take note, Building control may still pass off and inspect your work. But someone from planning department may come along and say to you “take it down” if no notice as be put in place.