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.

Whether you need planning permission to install an extractor fan depends on the size and placement of the fan.

For domestic installations, such as a bathroom or kitchen in your house, planning permission is not generally required. If the change significantly alters the external appearance of your home then permission may be required.

If you live in a listed building, you will need listed building consent for any significant changes.

Larger extractor fans for businesses are likely to require an application for planning permission to be made to the local planning authority. These extractors can impact the local area due to their noise, visibility and odour, as such the planning authority will need to assess the change.

Building regulations relating to ventilation and electrical works will have to be complied with, these are covered by Approved Document F and P respectively.

Read more about building regulations and the requirement for ventilation on our common projects.

Yes, under permitted development, a new dormer must not be higher than the existing highest part of the roof. It should also have materials that are in similar appearance to the existing roof. Additional limits apply in conservation areas and on listed buildings. Read about planning permission for loft conversions on Planning Portal

An application for full planning permission for a change of use is often required when changing from a house (use class C3) to a residential institution (use class C2). This is due to the increased activity which a C2 use would have on the local street area through the addition of visitors, staff and changes to parking.

Read additional information on use classes and changes of use.

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The failure to obtain planning permission or comply with the details of a permission is commonly known as a 'planning breach'.

A planning breach usually occurs when:

• A development that requires planning permission is undertaken without the permission being granted - either because the planning application was refused or was never applied for
• A development that has been given permission subject to conditions breaks one or more of those conditions.

If the breach involves a previously rejected development (or the retrospective application fails) the council can issue an enforcement notice requiring you to put things back as they were.

There are statutory time limits for enforcement, these vary based on when the breach took place.

If the breach took place prior to 25 April 2024

• Change of use of a building, or part of a building, to use as a single dwelling house - Enforcement action can no longer be taken once the unauthorised use has continued for four years without any enforcement action being taken
• Operational development relating to building, engineering or mining - Enforcement action can no longer be taken from four years, beginning the date where the operations were substantially completed.

If the breach took place on or after 25 April 2024

• Change of use of a building, or part of a building, to use as a single dwelling house - Enforcement action can no longer be taken once the unauthorised use has continued for ten years without any enforcement action being taken
• Operational development relating to building, engineering or mining - Enforcement action can no longer be taken from ten years, beginning the date where the operations were substantially completed.

Other time limits:

There is no time limit for enforcement on breaches of planning control relating to relevant demolition.

For any other breach of planning control, ten years beginning with the date of the breach. This predominantly applies to changes of use.

Read more about breaches of planning control and lawful development certificates on Planning Portal.