Frequently Asked Questions

We provide, clear, simple and affordable architectural services at very competitive prices. We focus on smaller straightforward projects within residential and light commercial renovations and are not chasing larger projects, which means every client gets our full attention.

Many home improvements don’t need planning permission as they fall under Permitted Development, part of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015.

This means you can often carry out certain works, like loft conversions, single or two-storey extensions, garage conversions, porches, outbuildings, and external render or cladding, without a formal application as long as specific rules are met.

If you’re unsure whether your project qualifies, you can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate from your local council for written confirmation.

Keep in mind that some properties like flats, maisonettes, listed buildings, and homes in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty don’t have Permitted Development rights.

At DWG Plans Sussex, we’ll help you check, plan, and choose the correct submission with ease and confidence.

Homeowners now have a legal obligation to appoint a Principal Designer for the drawing and preparation of building control documents. See 2023 Building Regulations Compliance

These legal obligations include:

1. Confirm Whether Your Project Requires Building Regulations Approval
2. Appointing a Competent Principal Designer (Required by Law) before design work progresses
3. Appointing a Principal Contractor if construction involves more than one contractor
4. Ensuring all professionals are compliant and that the Principal Designer is the lead on all building control documents

We will talk about this with you during our onsite visit to your property.

Our online quote calculator will provide an accurate cost and this will be the price including 1 revision to the drawings prior to submission, so long as you don't add any additional services. Please note that the price includes our fees for our services packages (Basic, Standard & Builder Ready) and does not include and fee for the submission through the planning portal or any other disbursements that may be required. We will talk about this with you during our site visit.

If you are still unsure that the work you are doing is permitted development then DWG Plans Sussex Ltd always suggests that you apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.

This application is to ask your local council if the work you are doing is permitted under the permitted development guidelines and requests that they review the information/plans provided and issue a Lawful Development Certificate.

This Lawful Development Certificate is extremely useful as it does 2 things.

· It gives you peace of mind that the extension or conversion that you are building is permitted development.

· When it comes to selling your property, the new owners have the reassurance that the extension or conversion that you have done is permitted and aids in a smooth transaction of the house purchase.

Contact DWG Plans Sussex Ltd to get a free no obligation quote for your project.

Flats and Maisonettes
Any work to flats or Maisonettes would require planning permission.

Houses in designated areas
More restricted permitted development rules apply to what planners refer to as ‘designated areas’. These include:

• Conservation areas
• National parks
• Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
• World Heritage Sites
• The Norfolk or Suffolk Broads

Local authorities also have the right to limit permitted development rights for certain areas by issuing an ‘Article 4 direction’ – which refers to Article 4 of the GDPO. This might happen for instance, if they want to preserve the character of an area.

Some newer homes
Occasionally, newer houses will have their permitted development rights removed as a condition of planning consent when they are built. Usually this should be listed in the covenants in the deeds of the property.

Listed buildings
Different rules apply, and you’ll need to obtain listed building consent as well as planning permission.

If you’ve used up your permitted development rights
Buildings that have already been extended may have used up part or all of their permitted development rights during their history. You can extend your home more than once, but the total size of all extensions added to the original building as it stood on 1 July 1948 (the date modern planning regulations were introduced) can’t exceed the current limits.

Wrap-around extensions
This popular type of extension is not covered by permitted development rights due to their large size. However, a side-extension can partially wrap around your house under certain circumstances.

The council reserve the right to make a decision within 8 weeks for small alterations but for larger projects it could take up to 13 weeks. In areas that require an environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) it varies, but for a planning application that requires one, the decision period is 16 weeks from the date the application is submitted.

We aim to provide your drawings between 7-10 working days aftter the site survey at your property.

Under Permitted Development, you can’t extend beyond the front (principal) elevation of your home, usually the side that faces the street. This means additions like a new bay window will require planning permission.

However, you are allowed to build a porch at the front of your property without planning permission, as long as it meets the following limits:

• The total footprint does not exceed 3 square metres
• The height is no more than 3 metres
• It is set back at least 2 metres from any boundary or the edge of the road
• If your design goes beyond these limits, you’ll need to apply for full planning permission before starting work.

Permission for a rear extension comes from Part 1, Class A of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015(GPDO). This allows for certain works without a full planning application, as long as the extension design meets specific size and location criteria.

In general, your rear extension may fall under Permitted Development if:

• It does not extend more than 3 metres beyond the original rear wall of a semi-detached, terraced houses or link-detached houses, or 4 metres for a detached house (based on original plans of the building or as it stood on 1st July 1948 if older)
• The maximum height does not exceed 4 metres.
• The materials used are similar in appearance to the existing house.
• The extension does not cover more than half of the land around the original property.
• If your design exceeds these limits or if your home is a flat, maisonette, listed building, or located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, you’ll need to apply for planning permission.

At DWG Plans Sussex, we can assess your ideas, confirm whether they meet Permitted Development rules, and prepare all the drawings and applications you need to get your project approved smoothly.

A new bedroom with ensuite open plan kitchen/diner below is a great way to increase the space inside your property. A two-storey rear extension could be the perfect solution and, in many cases, it can be built under Permitted Development rights, meaning you may not need full planning permission.

However, the rules are stricter than for single-storey extensions, and your design must meet the following requirements:

• Two-storey extensions can only be built from the rear elevation of your property not the side or front.
• Your extension can extend up to 3 metres from the original rear wall on a semi-detached, terraced, or link-detached house, or up to 4 metres for a detached home.
• Both storeys must follow this same depth for the project to qualify under Permitted Development.
• The ridge and eaves height must not exceed those of your existing house. Any part of the roof within 2 metres of a boundary must not be taller than 3 metres.
• The total area covered by the extension including any previous extensions or outbuildings must not exceed 50% of the land around the original house.
• The roof pitch should match the existing house, and external materials (such as tiles and cladding) should be similar in appearance.
• Any upper-floor windows on the side elevation must be obscure glazed and non-opening below 1.7 metres from the floor.
• If your design goes beyond these limits or your home is a flat, maisonette, listed building, or located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or Conservation Area you’ll need to apply for planning permission.

At DWG Plans Sussex, we can assess your proposal, confirm whether it meets Permitted Development rules, and prepare all the drawings and applications needed.

There are several types of loft conversions, each offering different benefits depending on your roof style and space needs. The simplest option is a roof light conversion, which adds Velux-style windows with minimal structural changes. Other options include dormer, hip-to-gable, mansard, and L-shaped conversions and sometimes a combination of these is used to maximise headroom and floor space.

Under Permitted Development, loft conversions must meet certain rules. Dormers can’t face the street; only rooflights projecting up to 15cm are allowed.

The new roof can’t be higher than the existing ridge, and the added volume must not exceed 50 cubic metres for detached or semi-detached homes, or 40 cubic metres for terraces.

Dormers should also sit at least 20cm below the eaves. Stair access requires 2 metres of headroom, side windows must be obscure glazed, and external finishes should match the existing property.

Most conservatories can be built under Permitted Development rights, meaning you won’t usually need a full planning application if certain conditions are met. The conservatory must be built at the rear of your property, not the front, and must not extend more than 3 metres beyond the original rear wall of an attached house, or 4 metres for a detached home. It should use materials similar to those of the existing house and take up no more than 50% of the total land surrounding the original property (as it was built, or as it stood in 1948).

The structure must also be less than 4 metres high or 3 metres if it’s within 2 metres of a boundary and the eaves and ridge cannot be taller than the main house.

Meeting these rules helps you avoid the need for full planning permission while keeping your conservatory compliant and well-designed.

The requirement for planning permission for a driveway falls under Section 57 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, which states that development requires permission. However, specific driveway projects may be granted automatic permission under the General Permitted Development Order, which bypasses the need to apply for a full planning permission application.

In most cases, you can install or replace a driveway without planning permission if the surface area is under 5 square metres. For larger driveways, you can still avoid planning permission by using a permeable or porous surface such as gravel, porous asphalt, or permeable block paving that allows rainwater to drain naturally into your garden or borders.

If you need a dropped kerb to drive over the pavement, you’ll usually require a licence or approval from your local council.

Planning permission is generally only needed when installing a non-permeable surface larger than 5 square metres in front of your home (between the road and the property’s main elevation). Driveways built elsewhere on your property usually have no restrictions, provided they are at or near ground level.

Always confirm which side of your property counts as the principal elevation, especially for corner plots.

If your property is on a classified road (A, B, C, or M road) or an adopted public road, you’ll need planning permission to install a dropped kerb at the front of your property.

For other types of roads, a dropped kerb usually falls under Permitted Development.

However, you’ll still need to obtain approval from your local highways authority and use a licensed contractor who is authorised to carry out the work safely and legally.

You will not need to apply for planning permission if you wish to erect a new; or alter, maintain, improve or take down an existing fence, wall or gate if the following conditions are met:

In regard to its height:

• It is next to a highway used by vehicles (or the footpath of such a highway) and it would not exceed one metre in height (from ground level)
• Not exceed two metres in height (from ground level) if elsewhere
• If an existing fence, wall or gate already exceeds the limits above, that its height would not be increased.
• No part of the site is a listed building or within the curtilage of a listed building.
• No part of the fence, wall, gate or any other boundary involved, forms a boundary with a neighbouring listed building or its curtilage.
• The right to put up or alter fences, walls and gates has not been removed by an article four direction or a planning condition.
• If any of these conditions are not met, then you will need to apply for planning permission.

In a conservation area, you might need permission take down a fence, wall or gate.

You do not need planning permission for hedges as such, though if a planning condition or a covenant restricts planting (for example, on “open plan” estates, or where a driver’s sight line could be blocked) you may need planning permission and/or other consent.

We will talk to the planninng authority on your behalf and find out the reasons and then talk with you about further revisions.