It can be very easy to run into planning enforcement trouble without meaning to.
A common mistake is to get separate planning permissions for different extensions and then to building them together, or to mix planning permissions with what is allowed under permitted development.
Often, though the individual extensions have approval, it is not lawful to build them out together.
Many people get away with it, never even aware that they have made a mistake, but the unlucky few get a visit from a council planning enforcement officer and things can get very messy.
In this case, our client had obtained planning permission for ground and first floor rear extensions and then combined them with the kind of roof extensions (a hip-to-gable and rear dormer) that are usually possible under permitted development.
The council was not happy with the result and refused a retrospective planning application.
We submitted an appeal and were delighted when the appeal inspector agreed with us that the extensions were balanced and harmonious, that they caused no harm to the streetscene and that they fitted in with a wide variety of similar extensions along the row, including almost identical extensions at a neighbouring house.
A huge sigh of relief for our client, who faced the possibility of demolishing of much of what he had built.
If you are facing enforcement action, contact us for advice.
For more on enforcement and homeowner extensions, also check our bestselling book, How to Get Planning Permission, available here.
