Planning Information: Home Improvements
Basements
If you live in a home which enjoys the presence of a cellar, the conversion of it into a living space is in most cases unlikely to require planning permission provided that:-
- A separate stand alone unit is not created
- The use of the space is not significantly changed. For example if you wished to start using that space in association with a commercial activity such as business storage, this may require the benefit of planning permission
- If you wished to add a light well and that significantly altered the external appearance of the property, then planning permission would be required.
If your plans are even more ambitious and you wished to create a new basement, you would require planning permission for this.
Last but not least, if you live in a listed building, it is likely that you will require listed building consent for internal or external work.
As we understand, the planning regime covering the creation of living space in basements is evolving and under review.
