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Planning permission for sheds

Posted: February 7th, 2018, 7:31 pm
by anniesdad
The extension is externally finished / weather tight and although there is still a lot of finishing going on I have a fair few bits left over like roof tiles and timber. I was thinking about building a vertical bike shed using some of this surplus. So the bikes stand upright in it on their back wheels. The size would be approx 7ft high, 6 ft wide, 3ft deep. Frame work made of joists, roofed with concrete roof tiles (so would match the single storey extension) and maybe clad the walls in feather board timber.

Can I place this anywhere I like?

I would like it in my front garden and adjacent to my neighbours 6 ft fence, and within the building line.

Re: Planning permission for sheds

Posted: February 7th, 2018, 7:41 pm
by PinkDalek
anniesdad wrote:The extension is externally finished / weather tight and although there is still a lot of finishing going on I have a fair few bits left over like roof tiles and timber. I was thinking about building a vertical bike shed using some of this surplus. So the bikes stand upright in it on their back wheels. The size would be approx 7ft high, 6 ft wide, 3ft deep. Frame work made of joists, roofed with concrete roof tiles (so would match the single storey extension) and maybe clad the walls in feather board timber.

Can I place this anywhere I like?

I would like it in my front garden and adjacent to my neighbours 6 ft fence, and within the building line.


See https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/2 ... tbuildings which includes:

Rules governing outbuildings apply to sheds, ... Outbuildings are considered to be permitted development, not needing planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:

No outbuilding on land forward of a wall forming the principal elevation.


I haven't read the entirety nor the Technical Guidance linked at the foot.

You may therefore need Planning Permission. What does your Council's website say on the subject? I know someone here who was forced to remove a similar structure.

Edit: I missed your within the building line

Re: Planning permission for sheds

Posted: February 7th, 2018, 8:59 pm
by Lootman
My experience agrees with what PinkDalek said. If it is in the rear then structures like sheds, greenhouses, gazebos and summer houses do not need planning permission. They are deemed to be mobile and temporary structures and, indeed, I have taken them from one house to another when moving.

A garage, on the other hand, needs a permit. Not sure about a car port or lean-to though, and anything in the front.

Of course, in the rear, nobody can see it anyway so permits can be deemed moot.

Re: Planning permission for sheds

Posted: February 7th, 2018, 9:25 pm
by richlist
One of my neighbours has a small (6' x 4') shed to house his Harley m/cycle in his front garden in front of the building line.
Planning dept know about it cos someone complained but they said it was ok as considered it is only a temporary structure.....been there about 3 years now.

So much for not being able to build anything in the front garden !

Re: Planning permission for sheds

Posted: February 7th, 2018, 9:29 pm
by Lootman
richlist wrote: they said it was ok as considered it is only a temporary structure.....been there about 3 years now.

I was told exactly the same thing. Designating a structure as "temporary" refers to the ability to move it and not to whether it ever actually moves.

I specially asked about putting down a concrete base and then bolting a structure to it. That still counts as temporary because it can be unbolted and moved.

Re: Planning permission for sheds

Posted: February 7th, 2018, 9:36 pm
by richlist
That's interesting.
I suspect the front garden 'shed' is bolted down but it doesn't stop it looking a complete eyesore......

He has now also built a large wood store with roof over in his front garden.......perhaps that's temporary as well.

Re: Planning permission for sheds

Posted: February 7th, 2018, 10:31 pm
by anniesdad
Thank you for prompt responses. The principal elevation thing is interesting. My extension is single storey and consists of an L shape with a hall projecting 2.5 metres in front of the house and a bedroom to the side. The hall way has the front door and is clos st to the road so I guess it now must be the principal elevation. The bike shed would not need to project beyond this, and is less than 2.5 high, and I guess is temporary being made of timber.

We lost car parking space due to the extension, so carparking is now where the bikes used to be stored in a very simple shelter so I now want to set something better up for the bikes. My real concern was wether adding concrete roof tiles instead of normal felted shed roof would make it a non shed to the planning people. To me it makes sense to use up a few surplus building materials.

Re: Planning permission for sheds

Posted: February 20th, 2018, 9:00 pm
by stewamax
Hmm... if the base of the bike-shed were on two axles, each with a pair of tiny wheels, would it not definitely qualify as a movable structure? The travelling community and others appear to use this design of 'mobile' homes to subvert planning restraints, as do billboard advertisements on wheeled A-frames that are only notionally mobile.

Re: Planning permission for sheds

Posted: February 21st, 2018, 8:28 am
by bungeejumper
anniesdad wrote:My real concern was wether adding concrete roof tiles instead of normal felted shed roof would make it a non shed to the planning people. To me it makes sense to use up a few surplus building materials.

To me too, except perhaps that it would be likely to give the local busybodies something to get annoyed about. ;)

My concern would be slightly different. Will the shed structure take the hefty weight of concrete tiles? Many, many years ago, I had the misbegotten idea of re-roofing a medium-sized wooden porch on my house (30 inches deep) with some left-over red clay roof tiles (of a rather fancy design, that matched the main roof.) No sooner had I stopped and stepped back to admire my handiwork than the whole thing started to bow and pull itself away from the wall.

I realised I had about thirty minutes to remove the tiles before the whole thing collapsed and killed the postman. :lol:

BJ