Planning Permission and GPDO Overview

Understanding the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) and its coverage.
Focus on the following parts: 1, 2 (briefly), 3, 4.
Determining whether development permission is granted by the GPDO or if express planning permission is required.

According to Section 55(1): Development includes:
- The carrying out of building, engineering, mining, or other operations in, on, over, or under land.
- The making of any material change in the use of any buildings or land.

Examples of Development Changes:
- Bedroom conversion to kitchen.
- Office conversion to residential flats.

Definition:
- A type of development that does not require planning permission under the GPDO.
Classification:
- Development requires planning permission.
- Not Development does not require planning permission.
- Examples of Permitted Development (GPDO):
- Certain house extensions.
Types of Development:
- Operational Development: New buildings, alterations & extensions, quarries, etc.
- Material Change of Use: For example, changing a house into two flats or a shop into a bank.
- Non-material Change of Use: For example, changing a bedroom into a kitchen or a bakery into a grocery store.
- Internal Alterations: Changes to internal walls, floors, ceilings, etc.
- Certain External Alterations: Generally, modifications like TV aerials or cat flaps.

The GPDO automatically grants planning permission for specific classes of development outlined in Schedule 2, negating the need for an express application.
Note: Some types of permitted development require prior approval from the Local Planning Authority (LPA).

Dwellinghouse: A standalone house, excluding buildings with flats and individual flats.
Original: Refers to the structure as initially constructed or how it stood in 1948, if constructed before then.
Building: Includes all structures and parts of buildings.
Existing: As present at the commencement of development.
Article 4 Direction: Removes permitted development rights from specific areas.
Article 2(3) Land: Areas like AONBs, National Parks, Conservation Areas, World Heritage Sites, and the Broads.

Developments covered by the GPDO are categorized in parts 1-19 of Schedule 2.
Recommended to check with the LPA or obtain a Certificate of Lawfulness if uncertain about permitted development status.

Enables homeowners to extend or alter properties if certain criteria are met.
Significant changes made to permitted development rights in 2008, with continuous updates implemented through 2015 and 2023.
Regulations have been relaxed enabling certain household developments without formal planning permission.

Permits "The enlargement, improvement, or other alteration of a dwelling house" within certain limits.
Extensions are not allowed forward of a principal or side elevation that faces a highway (small porches are exceptions).
Limitations:
- Maximum coverage of 50% of the garden (curtilage).
Rear Projection Limits:
- Single storey: 6m for terrace or semi-detached houses; 8m for detached houses.
- Two storey: max 3m for all house types.
Side Projection Limits: Should not exceed half the width of the original house; two-storey side extensions are prohibited.

Materials: Must match the existing house appearance.
Prohibitions: No verandal, balcony, or raised platform over 300mm.
In Conservation Areas: No cladding or side extensions; no two-storey rear extensions allowed.
Height Limits: Extensions cannot exceed ridge-line height of the house, with max height of 4m for single storeys, and eaves height must not exceed 3m if within 2m of boundary.

Permits enlargement of a dwellinghouse involving alterations to its roof subject to specific limitations:
- Volume limits: 40m³ for terraces and 50m³ for semi-detached or detached houses.
- Extensions must not exceed the ridge-line height, must not be forward of a principal elevation that faces a highway, amongst other conditions.

Includes: Means of enclosure such as fences, access to highways, painting the building exterior, installation of electric vehicle charging points, and security measures like CCTV cameras.

Covers solar photovoltaic or thermal equipment, ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps, water heat pumps, and flues for biomass boilers.
Divided into classes for residential property (A-I) and non-domestic property (J-O).

Regulates changes between Use Classes as defined in the Use Classes Order 1987 (as amended).
Examples of changes:
- From B1(a) (offices) to C3 (dwellinghouses) - Class O.
- From agricultural buildings to flexible use under various classes (B2, B8, C1, etc.) - Class R.
- Change from agricultural use to dwellinghouses - Class Q.

Temporary structures on land for specific durations (28 or 14 days).
Classes include:
- Class A: Temporary buildings.
- Class BC: Recreational campsites for no more than 60 days.
- Class E: Temporary use for filmmaking for periods not exceeding 9 months in 27 months, with some exclusions.

Applies only to certain permitted development rights, involving a simplified process.
Decision timeframes may vary based on specific development types.

Complexity in interpretations leads to the need for Certificates of Lawfulness for clarity.
Potential environmental impact and neighbor relations due to some permitted development rights.

The purpose of the GPDO is to facilitate minor developments and reduce planning applications.
Its usefulness is acknowledged by the current government, and changes potentially loom under future governmental administrations.
Final advice: Focus on learning how to interpret the GPDO rather than trying to memorize its contents.