Do I Need Planning Permission.co.uk
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Any advise; I want to build a new front porch within the 3sqm etc required for it to be included in permitted development HOWEVER I don’t want to keep the front door between the original front of the house and new porch - am I best to seek building regulation consent for this or just go ahead and put in planning permission for essentially a front extension?

Firstly, Permitted Development (Planning) and Building Regulations are completely separate.

If the ‘external’ floor area does not exceed 3sq.m and 3m height and you have at least 2m to the boundary/highway, it’s PD.

If you retain the original front door, it’s exempt from BR’s. Once you remove that door or replace it with an internal quality door, it’d need BR’s as it’d be classed as a single storey front extension. Without BR’s, it could be built as a single skin and un-insulated structure. With BR’s, all elements will need insulating, etc...

Thank you for your reply. Yes that’s what I took from the research I did; I was just trying to get around whether it works out easier/cheaper to get planning permission for a front extension, or building regulation consent for removing the door, either way it will be built with all the required insulation.

Why do you think you require Planning?

Your question should be whether you go down the BR exemption route for a porch or a single storey front extension.

I would require planning permission for a front extension wouldn’t I?

But it’ll be no more than 3sq.m and will over or in front of your front door, i.e. a porch?

You’re of course welcome to submit a Planning application for a single storey front extension. Bear in mind you’ll have to pay the application fee of £206.00, the PP service charge of £25.00, the fee for an OS map and the other fees required to produce both existing and proposed drawings; unless you’ll be doing those yourself?

How and why would Planning know if you are retaining or removing the original front door? If it came up when you sell, put it back in. If it’s over 4 years, it’s considered lawful. That’s assuming if it’s picked up at all.

Hi

Resurrecting an old topic

We bought a house 2 years that has had an external porch converted to internal approx 10 years ago maybe more.

It’s single skin and hasnt been insulated however we are planning to board it out with insulated board and heat it and we have already had roof space insulated and a new external composite door fitted to replace a battered old one. The original eternal door which is now the inner door to the porch is still in situ which I believe is 20 years old with single glazed panels

Do we need to retain this due to buildings refs or has the porch conversion been in place that long that it’s deemed lawful and we can use an internal door rather than an external or fire door?

The porch is only 1.5 x 1m internally

If the interconnecting door is of an internal type/quality, then the porch would require Building Regulations. It would be treated along the same lines as a garage conversion, i.e. cold space to heated space.

The current door is the original external door which is far inferior to current fire door specs or externals.

If I replace the original door with a 44mm fire door I think it still counts as an external space despite it being boarded and heated doesn’t it therefore br don’t apply?

It doesn’t need to be fire rated (per se) but thermally efficient. So it’s a thermally efficient timber, uPVC or composite door then it’d be exempt from BR’s. Anything else, then it’s conversion would technically require a BR application.

Jumping in, we don’t have a porch originally and quite far set from the road. We added a 3x2 m porch about 4 years ago and have since removed our internal door.

The porch is as designed to be insulated and eventually form part of the house.

Do I need to get planning or retrospective?

As it’s been there for 4 years, you could claim it’s lawful. You can choose to submit an optional Lawful Development Certificate application to officiate it.

The removal of the internal door doesn’t have anything to do with Planning. As it’s over 3sq.m, it would have required Planning. Without the original external door between the house and porch means it would also require Building Regulations.