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Do I need planning permission to add a glamping pod on private land?
Adding a personal or commercial glamping pod will often require planning permission due to the size and permanence of the structure.
For personal use, whether you require planning permission depends on the size of the structure. If it’s placed in your garden, then it may be classed as an outbuilding and fall under permitted development rights. This only applies if it is not treated as a new living space which many glamping pods will be. Full details on outbuildings are available on our common project pages.
For commercial use, planning permission will be needed for the addition, where relevant this will also cover the change of use. An application should include any utilities connections or access roads that will be added alongside the pod.
Due to the complex nature of installing a glamping pod, we’d recommend talking to your local planning authority or our Planning Guidance Service.
Common Questions
National planning regulations allow certain alterations to be made to a property without requiring planning permission; these are known as permitted development rights. In some cases, local authorities may remove or restrict these rights for specific types of development that would otherwise be allowed. This is achieved through the use of Article 4 Directions, which are intended to protect the character, heritage, and appearance of designated areas.
If your local planning authority has issued an Article 4 Direction, some of your permitted development rights may no longer apply. As a result, you may need to submit a planning application for works that would not normally require one.
You can check whether an Article 4 Direction affects your property by visiting your local authority’s website.
When you, or an agent acting on your behalf, have submitted a planning application, the local authority will firstly check the application to check if it’s complete. This validation process allows the authority to ensure everything that is required to decide an application has been received and provided correctly. They will contact you if they require any further information from you.
After the application has been validated, the determination process begins and takes up to 8 weeks for smaller applications, or up to 13 weeks for larger applications. The authority should be able to give you an idea about the likely timetable. The local authority will contact you with their decision.
Read more about the decision-making process for planning applications.
You can usually put up new fences, gates or garden walls without planning permission, as long as you stay within permitted height limits. If the structure is adjacent to a highway (including footpaths), it must not exceed one metre in height. For all other boundaries, the maximum permitted height is two metres. Anything taller than these limits will require planning permission.
You will not need planning permission if a new or replacement driveway of any size uses permeable (or porous) surfacing which allows water to drain through, or if the rainwater is directed to a lawn or border to drain naturally.
If the surface to be covered is more than five square metres planning permission will be needed for laying traditional, impermeable driveways that do not provide for the water to run to a permeable area.
This guidance applies to houses, there are different rules for flats and maisonettes, converted houses, new houses or areas where there permitted development rights may be restricted.
Read about paving your front garden
You may need to consider if a dropped kerb is required, largely dropped kerbs are not a planning matter but you will need to apply to your local council.
Find out more about dropped kerbs
A carport can fall under permitted development rights provided it meets certain limits and conditions set out in legislation. If you exceed or fail to meet a requirement then you will require planning permission.
If not attached to the house, a car port will be treated as an ‘outbuilding’. A full list of requirements is available on our outbuildings common project.
