Planning permission to have second gas+electric mains installed?

[Duke]

Can anyone advise if I need planning permission to have the gas & electric supply companies install a second gas main and a second electric main to the building where I live?

The house was split into two flats 15 years ago, without planning permission. Ever since then, I have lived in one flat and got the tenant in the other flat to pay for his/her power via coin meters.

Now, I want to get extra mains supplies (gas & electricity) for the flat that currently has the coin meters. Do I have to apply for planning prmission to do this?

Many thanks,

Duke

[Owain]

No.

If the utility cos ask why, but they probably won't, just say you're putting in a granny annex rather than a separate dwelling.

Owain

[Tony Bryer]

Nothing to do with the planners. But assuming you have proof of the conversion (separate Council Tax bills etc) it might be worth regularising the planning situation ... unless one day you might want to do a reverse conversion, not allowed by some planning departments like ours.

[Duke]

Tony, Yes - that is one of the reasons why I haven't applied for a CLU so far; because someone may just want to turn the place back into a single dwelling at some point. However, my hand may be forced when I come to sell one of the flats. If a buyer insists on a CLU, then I will have to decide whether to take that plunge, or withdraw from the sale. I'm told that applying for the CLU would be merely a formality, but I'm a bit wary that it could open some kind of can of worms or other.

Duke

[Duke]

Thanks, Owain. Why do you recommend I don't divilge that it's a separate dwelling?

Duke

[ARWadsworth]

The can of worms is the water supply. It would need to be two metered individual supplies at rip off cost.

Adam

[Owain]

Because then they'll expect a separate postal address for the separate premises, which the council would have given you when you got the planning permission, which you didn't get :-)

Also if it's only for separately metering a granny annex they might just split the existing supply, but if it's for a separate dwelling they might insist on a new supply from the street mains - ££££s.

Owain

[dom]

Should we assume the OP is defrauding the council tax too? I'd quite happily shop him - so the rest of us don't pay as much.

[Duke]

The Council Tax Dept *did* though! (Back in 1993 when they first assessed the place as two flats.)

I guess they will send someone around who will need to look over the premises before they decide what can/should be done regards the new mains supplies. It's only two one-bed flats (no bigger than the original house, so hopefully they can split the existing mains input, like you said.

Regards,

Duke

[Duke]

I've heard about that. Yes, it does indeed seem like a rip-off, when it's the water company that will profit from it. I hope legislation will soon force the water company to pay for it themselves. It seems only fair.

Duke

[Tony Bryer]

No, our family business sold off a house of converted flats all sharing one water main with no problems. I did investigate replacing the water mains and given the likely cost (£5K or so) decided to stick with the status quo - no one queried this.

[Tony Bryer]

That IMO is a key issue if it comes to regularising the planning situation: if they've been taking two lots of CT off you for years they can hardly deny its use at flats. Conversely if you claim it's been flats for years but you never told the CT department you are somewhat hoisted by your own petard.

[Steve]

My old flat was the same, converted about 88. The buyers "solicitor" (useless internet conveyancing firm) brought the issue up, my solicitor basically told him not to be an arse, and that was the end of that, sale went through fine.

You have to suspect there are hundreds of thousands of properties in the same situation, it must come up all the time.

Steve