The 'Building Line'

[Chris Hogg]

My mother's bungalow was built in about 1960, and is set 30ft back from the road, behind what is/was known as the 'building line'. Whenever a discussion comes up regarding the size of the front garden, or putting an extension onto the bungalow, she always brings up the 'building line', that it's sacrosanct and nothing can be built in front of it.

Is this still the case? Is building in front of the building line still an absolute no-no, is it now dependent on local planning authorities and circumstances, or is it just a thing of the past, long since forgotten and no longer enforced or relevant?

[Jonno]

Chris Hogg scribbled

Still relevant in some instances

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

Go to uk.legal.moderated Chris. There are some clever people in there.

[michael adams]

If only

michael adams

...

[Brian-Gaff]

It seems to vary with location and indeed local laws I suppose.

We are a lot closer to the road here than many houses around here are, but when I asked this question, I got a three page letter which was totally incomprehensible.

Brian

[Chris Hogg]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like it's still in favour, but may be up to the local authority to have the final say.

[Jonno]

Brian-Gaff scribbled

That's when you contact your local councillor and mention the Plain English campaign and ask for a translation.

[Tricky Dicky]

I do not think the building line was ever sacrosanct more a desirable outco me. I remember over 40 years ago my father got building permission for a po rtion of a garage to protrude beyond the building line. The irony of the si tuation was the property was a corner plot on a new build where the garden ended up smaller than first envisaged because the builder decided to squeez e in an extra house. The garage was built into the far corner in the angle formed by the boundaries of the two neighbouring properties resulting in on e corner beyond the "building line". I remember my father having to make hi s case to site it there, but the lunacy of the planning department said if he sited at the side of the house where it would block views of the corner and look like the proverbial carbuncle was OK.

Richard

[PeterL]

Take a look at the Planning Portals 'interactive house'. You'll probably find the answer there?