Not every extension needs full planning permission. This is one of the questions we get asked most often by homeowners in Redditch, Birmingham, Solihull and Warwickshire. Here is a straightforward guide.
Permitted Development Rights — the basics
Permitted Development Rights (PDR) let you extend your home within specific size limits without applying for full planning permission. Roughly speaking, you can:
- Extend a semi-detached or terraced house up to 6m to the rear (single storey)
- Extend a detached house up to 8m to the rear (single storey)
- Build a side extension up to half the width of the original house, single storey only, maximum 4m high
- Build a two-storey rear extension up to 3m out (with restrictions on window placement)
These are the headline figures. There are important caveats.
When you cannot use Permitted Development
- The property is a flat or maisonette
- The property is a listed building
- The property is in a conservation area (many parts of Solihull, Birmingham and Warwick)
- The property is subject to an Article 4 direction
- The property has already had extensions that eat into the allowance
- You want to extend forward of the “principal elevation” (the front of the house)
Prior approval
The larger single-storey rear extensions (over 4m detached or 3m attached, up to the 8m/6m limits) require a “prior approval” process. Neighbours are notified, and if any object on grounds of impact, the council decides whether the extension can proceed under PDR.
How the CK Construction planning service works
As part of every project we assess whether your extension needs full planning permission, prior approval or falls within PDR. We prepare the drawings, submit the application and handle any conditions attached to the approval. Most local authorities in the West Midlands decide standard householder applications in 8–10 weeks.
Building Regulations are separate
Even if you do not need planning permission, you almost certainly need Building Regulations approval. This covers structural stability, insulation, ventilation, fire safety and drainage. We handle this alongside the planning process.
Serving homeowners across West Midlands, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and the wider region.