Appeal against a refusal of planning permission for a first-floor rear extension

Our client had built a small extension to the rear of his shop, at first floor level. Richmond Upon Thames Council requested that a planning application be submitted to regularise the breach, but then issued a refusal. The client faced the prospect of planning enforcement action, with the risk that he might have to demolish […]

Certificate of lawfulness granted for a house (four-year rule)

This case concerned a property that had been in use as a separate house for many years, but without any formal confirmation that the use was lawful. The dwelling had originally been created from a two-storey side extension to number 5 Kentwode Green. Although it had clearly been used as a separate, self-contained house for […]

Application to remove a planning condition restricting permitted development rights

When Mira’s house was extended in the mid-1990s, the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames imposed a condition removing permitted development rights for any further extensions in the future. However, the government’s national planning guidance says that these conditions are generally unreasonable and should not usually be used. The idea is that almost all houses in the […]