Building Control Guidance

Building control is an essential part of the UK’s construction and
property development process. It ensures that buildings are safe, efficient, and built to a recognised standard that protects both occupants and the wider community. Whether you are constructing a new property, converting an existing building, or carrying out structural alterations, understanding building control guidance is fundamental to compliance and project success. This hub explains what building control is, how it works, who is responsible, and what steps you must take to meet UK Building Regulations.
How To Apply For Planning Permission
Applying for planning permission can feel like stepping into a world of forms, drawings, and rules that everyone else seems to understand except you. I have to be honest, even confident homeowners can feel unsettled by it, because there is a fear of doing it wrong and wasting months. In my opinion, the process is not actually mysterious, but it is detailed, and the detail is where people lose time. If you know what the council is looking for and you present the information clearly, applying for planning permission becomes... Read more...
How To Appeal Planning Permission In The UK
Appealing a planning decision can feel daunting because it sits at the point where your project ambitions meet policy, process and someone else’s judgement. Whether you are a homeowner trying to secure a loft conversion, a small developer pursuing an infill scheme, or a landlord seeking consent for a change of use, a refusal or an unreasonable condition can be costly in both time and momentum. The appeal system exists to provide an independent review of the local planning authority’s decision or lack of decision, but it is not a... Read more...
How Much Does Planning Permission Cost In The UK?
If you are asking how much does planning permission cost, I have to be honest, you are probably trying to avoid that horrible situation where a project budget looks sensible on day one, then slowly grows a personality of its own. In my opinion, planning costs feel confusing because people use the phrase “planning permission” to mean three different things at once. Sometimes they mean the council’s official application fee. Sometimes they mean the full cost of getting an application prepared, drawn, submitted, and supported. Sometimes they mean the financial... Read more...
How Long Does Planning Permission Take?
Planning permission can feel like it runs on its own special calendar, one where weeks stretch, emails vanish into the ether, and the phrase “we are awaiting comments” becomes a lifestyle. The honest answer is that planning permission can be quick for straightforward householder work, but it can also take much longer than most people expect once you add validation issues, consultation, committee cycles, amendments, legal agreements, and the reality of how stretched many planning departments are. If you want a useful answer rather than a vague shrug, it helps... Read more...
How Long Does Planning Permission Last?
If you have planning permission in your hand, it can feel like you have won the hard part. You have done the drawings, navigated the paperwork, waited through the decision period, and finally you have that approval notice. Then a quieter worry turns up. How long does planning permission last, and what happens if life, budgets, or builders do not behave nicely within the time allowed. I have to be honest, this is one of the most common planning questions I hear because the time limit can feel like a... Read more...
How High Can A Fence Be Without Planning Permission UK
Fences sit in that familiar grey area of home improvement where people assume common sense will do the job, until a neighbour complains or a sale falls through and suddenly everyone wants to know the exact rule. In the UK, there are clear permitted development limits on how high a fence, wall, gate or other boundary treatment can be without planning permission, but the answer depends on where the fence is in relation to a road or public route, what type of property you have, and whether there are local... Read more...
How Far Can You Extend Without Planning Permission (Semi Detached)
If you are asking how far can you extend without planning permission semi detached, I would say you are in very good company. Semi detached homes are some of the most extended properties in the UK because they often have that tempting combination of a side gap, a decent rear garden, and enough internal layout flexibility to make extra space genuinely life changing. But I have to be honest, it is also the house type where people get caught out most easily, mainly because they assume what their neighbour did... Read more...
How Do I Object To Planning Permission?
Objecting to a planning application can feel a bit like being invited to a conversation after the main decisions have already been made. You spot a site notice, a neighbour mentions builders, or a letter lands on the doormat, and suddenly you are expected to understand drawings, planning policies, and what the council is allowed to consider. The good news is that the planning system does allow the public to take part, and your comments can influence the outcome, especially when they focus on planning issues that matter legally. The... Read more...
How Do I Extend Planning Permission Beyond 3 Years?
When a planning permission is ticking towards its expiry date, it can feel like the whole project is slipping through your fingers. I have to be honest, I have seen otherwise calm homeowners become stressed simply because the paperwork says three years and time has moved faster than the build plan. You might be waiting on finance, a contractor, a party wall agreement, a utility diversion, or just the reality of life getting in the way. So the question lands with real urgency, how do I extend planning permission beyond... Read more...
How Big Can A Garage Be Without Planning Permission UK
A new garage can feel like a straightforward addition, somewhere secure for a car, bikes and tools, or a practical buffer between the house and the outside world. In planning terms, however, there is no single maximum garage size that applies everywhere. The real answer depends on what type of garage you mean, where it sits on the plot, whether it is attached to the house or detached in the garden, whether the property is a house or a flat, and whether permitted development rights still apply. Many garages can... Read more...
Do You Need Planning Permission To Remove A Chimney In The UK?
If you are wondering do you need planning permission to remove a chimney, I would say you are already on the right track, because chimney projects look simple from the outside and can be surprisingly technical once you start pulling things apart. I have to be honest, chimneys are one of those parts of a house that feel optional until you realise how much of the building they are tied into. They affect the roof, the internal structure, party walls in terraced and semi detached homes, ventilation, and sometimes even... Read more...
Do You Need Planning Permission To Convert A Garage?
Converting a garage is one of the most tempting ways to gain space because the “bones” are already there. The roof exists, the walls exist, and you can usually picture the finished room long before the first bit of plasterboard turns up. That ease is also why people get caught out. In England, planning permission is not usually required for a garage conversion when the work is internal and does not enlarge the building, but there are important exceptions that can turn a straightforward project into something that needs formal... Read more...