Planning permission - hard landscaping?

[Tim Watts]

Longer term plan - not sure if it's likely to need PP?

It's hard to ask our council - you can't just pop over to see a bloke, unlike the building inspector and they charge to even answer a letter (tightarses!).

I have read that "engineering works" (meaning non de-minimis earthworks in the garden) are not automatically considered as permitted development.

I want to regrade (change the level) of the front garden but chopping a

300mm lump off the high part and pushing it down the slope to the low side, raising that no more than 200mm.

That seems like no one would care too much (decking under 300mm can be permitted development, so if I am gaining

[The Natural Philosopher]

Id say its more likely to need building control (to ensure you do it right and don't e.g. introduce flooding problems) than planning (to ensure you don't do it all, or ensure it doesn't impact on visual or infrastructural stuff)

[Bob Minchin]

I know that they can be jumpy about creation of new impermeable surfaces from the effect on surface water drainage and any works should not affect sightlines for pedestrians and vehicles which is common sense but apart from that I would JFDI. Ideally do it relatively quickly and cleanly to avoid upsetting the neighbours and causing them to ask questions.

Bob

[Chris Hogg]

Can't answer your question, but Cornwall Council have a lot of information on their web site, including advice on whether PP is required, e.g.

I imagine a lot of the advice is pro forma, so your own council probably has the same or similar advice information.

[Brian Gaff]

Well I've certainly not bothered, it usually depends on whether you live in one of those conservation areas around here, over there you seem to need it for replacing an existing shed at the back. maybe they are frightened drones might spot it or something. One thing to bear in mind is where water will go for the neighbours, as its often them telling the council that sets the jobsworths onto you. I'd quite like to put up a telescopic mast in the back, and I used to have scaffold poles up in the past, but since the occupants have changed that might have to go to planning with silly restrictions. Brian

[Tim Watts]

Good call - I'd thought of that - and can ask the BCO in person when he does his final inspection. There's no folloding risk (all back drained onto my land) but he might have something to say about retaining walls bordering highways...

If only our PP officers were available for 15 minute ad hoc queries...

[Tim Watts]

Luckily I am outside the conservation area :)

[Tim Watts]

Thanks Chris:

"However, significant works of embanking or terracing to support a hard surface might need a planning application."

Still grey - but at least it's addressed.

I suspect that going down is less of an issue than going up in height - but I really don't know how they think...

People dig ponds all the time and some of those can be "significant" - in fact about 1/3 of the dig out will be going straight into a massive old pond adjacent anyway.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I have found that planning CONSULTANTS are.

I asked one this year whether planning could be acquired to develop outside of designated zones in the country. His remark 'Cats chance in hell' was exactly the sort of information I needed, although I didnt want to hear it.

[Andrew Mawson]

As I understand it, on agricultural land, you can change levels up to 1 Metre without needing planning permission. I cannot quote chapter and verse, but no one has challenged me having raised 3/4 acre by 30 inches 8 years ago :)

Andrew

[Tim Watts]

That was going through my mind - happy to pay £100 for an answer like that (I would expect to hear "no problem, just do it" or "you WILL need PP"). In the latter case, I might need a bit of help drawing up a PP application.

I will have to see if I can find one who knows the council and their foibles ideally (I assumed that matters?)

:(

[Andrew Mawson]

When I was considering building a new tractor shed and wanted help from Rother there was none ! All they would say was 'put in an application and find out' - so pretty useless. Time was when you could get guidance talking to a human being, but councils don't seem to employ them any more :( In the event I slapped a 28 day notice on them and they accepted it :) still cost £80 plus £100 for plans :(

Andrew

[Andy Burns]

Don't they have it on their price list as "pre-application advice"?

[Tim Watts]

That's the impression I got from Rother too (same council as you know).

The BCOs are great though - at least the two I met.

I suspect the BCOs are practical types that don't mind meeting the public, whereas planning are faceless bureaucrats with no sense of public service.

I think planning applications should be free and paid for out of council tax - they are for the most part for *everyone else's* benefit and not the applicant's.

BTW - what's a 28 day notice?

[Tim Watts]

Last I saw, they would only take written questions and then they charged you - so you can't even pay for a bod's time for 15 minutes.

[Tim Watts]

Just checked:

=========== Please note that we are no longer able to offer an informal advice service as to whether planning permission would or would not be required for your proposal.

For a formal decision as to whether planning permission is required for your proposal you will need to submit an application for a Certificate of Lawful Development - Proposed. ===========

Useless buggers. I know our local councillor for them quite well - I should mention that.

[Andy Burns]

Have a look online at the application forms for some of the more "challenging" planning applications you can think of in your area, they usually have tickboxes for various things including "did you receive pre-advice?" if you can find that any do, sometimes they refer to meeting notes etc, then you at least know they offer the service ...

[Tim Watts]

And that costs £172!!! Robbing bastards.

And then you are probably tied to a specific plan. I want to know what my options are. If you saw a bloke, he'd say "that'll need PP, but if you put it 1m back/behind the elevation/less high it wouldn't".

I wouldn't bother if it was something trivial and easily undone - but I don't fancy filling in 3-4 skips worth of hole in the marginal chance they don't like it.

[Andy Burns]

Oh well, got a tame councillor you can grumble to?

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Andrew Mawson writes

Don't do it on the flood plain and you need the appropriate EA waste exemption. U10 is a good one:-) (spreading waste to benefit agricultural land)

EA has an input to what happens within 8m of a non navigable waterway.