Whether you’re thinking of building a new timber garage at the front of your property or a garage workshop in your garden it’s important to first check if planning permission will be needed.
If you find that it is but you have already gone ahead and erected a wooden outbuilding like a garage, carriage house or open barn without applying for permission, you could find yourself in a similar situation to that faced by TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson at his property in the Cotswolds.
The star’s new farm shop building that featured on his Amazon TV show, Clarkson's Farm, was closed down because its roof was not slate and therefore did not fit in with local surroundings.
What type of timber garage requires planning permission?
Wooden garages are classed as outbuildings under planning laws and planning permission depends on the size of the structure, its height and where you want to position your timber garage.
The rules governing outbuildings apply to all structures like prefabricated garages, sheds and greenhouses as well as other garden buildings built for the enjoyment of the property.
Most of these outbuildings do not require permission from the local council unless you live within a conservation area or if your house is listed. Planning permission can usually be avoided if the proposed new structure is behind the building line of your property, is placed more than 2 metres from the nearest boundary, is under 4 metres tall and is less of 50% than the size of the plot.
However, if you have to site your timber garage near a boundary or put it in front of the building line of your home when viewed from the road, then planning permission will almost certainly be necessary. You can check whether permission is required on the government’s planning portal website here. The site also has an interactive guide that covers most situations explaining when planning permission for your wooden garage will be required.
Building regulations for Passmores wooden garages
As well as planning permission, your new timber garage will also need to be looked at by the Building Regulations department.
Small detached outbuildings under 15m² floor area do not require Building Regulations and buildings with a floor area of between 15-30m² that are positioned at least 1m from a boundary also do not require building regulations approval. If you are planning a wooden outbuilding larger than 30m², we advise you make a 'Full Plans Submission' as opposed to proceeding on a 'Building Notice' to ensure you are covering all bases prior to starting any work.
Please note: if your building does require building regulations approval, it usually takes 2-3 months for this to be granted by the local authority.
Passmores: specialist support on your timber garage journey
Passmores have been wooden outbuilding experts for more than 100 years. We provide specialist knowledge on every aspect of your timber garage journey, from advice about building design and planning permission to support on Building Regulations queries.
For example, do you want a wooden garage with a single, double or triple bay? Or perhaps one of our prefab garage kits? Do you want windows and a workshop attached or a certain type of roof tile? We can ensure your every wish is takesmall dn into consideration including whether the outbuilding adheres to local style and conservation area requirements.
If planning permission is required for your proposed wooden garage, we can produce elevation drawings to support the planning application with costs starting at £96. Elevation drawings are two dimensional drawings of your proposed building. This cost is refunded when you place an order for one of our Wooden Garages, Carriage Houses, Sports Pavilions or Equestrian buildings.
We also provide phone and email support during the planning process and our technical department can assist with Building Regulations queries. Still unsure about planning permission? Call us on 01634 290033 and we are happy to help.