A rear extension can meet the usual size limits and still require planning permission if the original consent restricted the rights for your plot. Before buying drawings or agreeing a start date, find the decision that approved your new home and check what it says about future alterations. New build status alone doesn’t tell you which rights apply.
Find the Planning History for the Plot
Search Solihull Council’s planning register by address, site name and the developer’s planning reference if you have it. The house might appear under a plot number on the approved site plan and have no street address in the older decision. Ask the developer or your conveyancer for the application reference and a plot plan if the search brings up several phases.
Read the outline or full permission, any relevant reserved matters approvals and later decisions that vary conditions. In each, identify the plans and conditions that apply to your plot. Wording can refer to a specific type of work or a class in the General Permitted Development Order. Record the decision reference and the condition number so you can raise a precise question.
Check Three Separate Restrictions
- Planning controls. A condition can limit future extensions, roof alterations, outbuildings or changes to parking. Check the wording and its scope, and check for an Article 4 Direction or other designation where relevant.
- Private obligations. Read the title documents for covenants or restrictions, and ask your conveyancer whether a developer or management company must consent. A planning decision does not remove a private obligation.
- Building Regulations. Check building control separately. The design and construction can require Building Regulations approval even where the planning route is permitted development.
Use the Right Evidence for the Next Decision
If the relevant rights still apply, assess the whole proposal against the current rules. Record the original house layout, any previous enlargements, the boundaries and the heights and position of the proposed work. Some projects need prior approval to use permitted development. Solihull Council points homeowners towards a proposed Lawful Development Certificate for formal confirmation of lawfulness where that route is appropriate.
Example: Two Plots With Different Outcomes
Suppose two detached houses on a Solihull estate have similar gardens. The owners each want a single-storey rear extension. One plot has a condition requiring planning permission for certain extensions, while the second plot is outside the group named in that condition. The owners could face different application routes despite proposing the same dimensions. Compare the approved plot plans with the wording before relying on what another homeowner was allowed to build.
Put Together a Short Brief
Send your designer the plot plan, decision notices, any applicable estate restrictions and a sketch showing where you want to build. Add photographs from the garden and the side boundary. That is enough to start a useful discussion about what needs checking before a detailed design.
If you have those documents and want help reading them alongside your proposal, ask Ashbridge Design about a planning drawings brief.