Planning and regulations
Do I need planning permission?
Usually not. Here are the six tests, in the order we check them.
The short answer
A Fieldhouse room is 2.5 m high, so it can stand within 2 m of a boundary under permitted development, as long as it passes the six tests below. The configurator runs the same check on your plot.
Permitted development
Six tests.
Behind the front of the house
A garden room cannot sit forward of the wall of the house that faces the road. Side and back gardens are fine.
2.5 m high if it is within 2 m of a boundary
Any part of the room within 2 m of a boundary caps the overall height at 2.5 m. Every Fieldhouse room is exactly 2.5 m, so it passes. Further in, flat-roofed rooms can go up to 3 m.
Under half the garden
The room, plus every other building and extension on the plot added to the original house, must cover no more than half the land around the house.
Used as an office, gym or hobby room
Not as somewhere to sleep. A room people sleep in is a separate dwelling in planning terms and needs permission.
Decking under 30 cm
A raised platform higher than 30 cm counts as a structure that needs permission. Our decking stays below that line.
Not on a listed building’s grounds, and check designated land
Listed buildings, flats and maisonettes need permission. In conservation areas and the Cotswolds National Landscape (AONB) there are extra limits, such as a smaller size for rooms more than 20 m from the house.
Building Regulations
Three sizes, three answers.
Inside floor area. Building Regulations are not normally needed, as long as no one sleeps in the room.
Not needed if the room is at least 1 m from any boundary and built of mainly non-combustible materials. We will advise on cladding and distance.
Building Regulations apply. We can run the application and the inspections for you.
Check before you order
Where we slow down.
- Listed buildings. Any building work in the grounds can need listed building consent.
- Conservation areas. Rooms to the side of a house need permission, and materials can matter.
- Cotswolds National Landscape (AONB). Rooms more than 20 m from the house are limited to 10 m² of floor.
- Flats and maisonettes. These have no permitted development rights for outbuildings.
- Leasehold and covenants. Your title may need the freeholder’s agreement. Planning law does not override it.
Questions
Planning questions we get most.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is our honest reading of the national rules for houses in England, based on what we build every week. Your council has the final word, which is why we give you a written planning check before you pay a deposit.
Does it matter if I use it for work?
Working from home in a garden room is a normal incidental use. If you run a business that brings customers, deliveries or staff to the property, ask us and your council.
What about Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?
The rules are different there. We cover Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Herefordshire, all in England, and keep to the English rules on this page.
Do I need to tell my neighbours?
Not for permitted development, but we always suggest a word over the fence. We keep the install quiet and finish by 5pm.
Will it need Building Regulations approval?
Not normally if it is under 15 m² inside and nobody sleeps in it. From 15 to 30 m² it is exempt if it is at least 1 m from every boundary and made mainly of non-combustible materials. Timber cladding is not, so we will talk through the options. A shower room adds drainage, so we will advise on that too.
What if I do need planning permission?
We prepare drawings and the application for a fixed fee of £450, and it normally takes eight weeks to get a decision. If it is refused, you can have your deposit back.
Do you handle the electrics certificate?
Yes. A registered electrician fits the supply and consumer unit and you receive the certificate on completion. For new circuits we notify Building Control for you.
Can I get a certificate that says it is lawful?
You can apply to your council for a Lawful Development Certificate (usually £129). It is useful when you sell. We will fill it in with you.