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Adding a conservatory to your house is an exciting prospect. It will give you extra space, a room that makes the most of natural light, and it will also increase the value of your property. The good news is that not all conservatories or orangeries need planning permission as long as they meet some specific criteria. One of them is size, and as long as your planned conservatory is less than half the area of land around the "original house" (i.e. the house as it was originally built), planning permission won’t be required. Likewise, the height of your conservatory should not be higher than the roof of your house and no more than four-metre-high, and its maximum eaves and ridge height should be no higher than the existing house. In terms of acceptable lengths, conservatories shouldn’t extend beyond a certain distance from the rear wall of the original house to be exempt from planning permission: for a single-storey rear conservatory, three meters for an attached house, going up to four meters for a detached house. If you are considering a side conservatory, the conditions are slightly more restrictive, as only one-storey extensions don’t need planning permission. It should also be no higher than four metres and its width must be no more than half that of the original house. Additionally, in all cases, your conservatory must not include a veranda, balcony or raised platform for you to be allowed to have it built without planning permission. Last, if your property is located in a National Park, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a conservation area or a World Heritage site, your conservatory must be built at the back of your house, not its side, and must be no higher than one storey. Although conservatories following these rules will also normally be exempt from Building Regulations including Part E relating to soundproofing, you may still want to consider this aspect as reducing outside noises will ensure that you can make the most of your new room –rain falling on your conservatory roof could easily drive you away! – and many soundproofing measures will also help with heat insulation. It has to be noted that these rules apply to houses only, flats and maisonettes having different criteria, and are only valid for England. In doubt, do get in touch with your Local Planning Authority who will be able to advise you on your specific case.
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