Do You Need Planning Permission To Convert An Attic

Converting an attic is a very useful and relatively economic way of creating additional accommodation in a house.

Do you need planning permission to convert an attic. It depends on your location and what you intend to do with the renovated space. A basic loft conversion such as the one shown above will generally not require planning permission however if your property is in a conservation area or is a listed building you may require listed building consent and planning permission. Your attic may presently have a fixed ladder a pull down ladder or no ladder at all. Planning permission is not required for a velux rooflight loft conversion as the shape of the roof isn t altered or extended.

A roof light or room in loft conversion is where you don t alter or expand the existing space at all but simply add in windows and reinforce the floor to transform an attic into a comfortable living space. However if you wish to erect a dormer window or to put your velux windows to the front then you will need planning permission. This depends on what your plans include you may or may not require planning permission. Most loft conversions can be carried out without planning permission but you ll still need to satisfy building regulations.

Rarely needs planning permission. This section provides guidance for making alterations to the loft space of an existing house which is no more than two storeys high. However if you re looking at converting the roof cavity into a habitable room and changing the roof line you ll certainly need council approval. There are two types of attic conversion roofline or dormer.

It s important to know whether you ll need planning permission before you begin especially as it can take a long time to get approval and you ll also need to make sure that your conversion meets building regulations. Most attic conversions are exempt from planning permission because the ceilings are not high enough to qualify as habitable accommodation. What your attic probably does not have is a set of code compliant stairs. To convert your attic to living space you cannot provide access via a ladder.

This can very often be done without the need for third party approvals such as. Before you begin tearing apart your roof for a new dormer or attic renovation you ll want to learn about acquiring loft conversion planning permission. About planning portal adverts. Here we give you the lowdown on planning a loft conversion.