Do I need planning permission for a pergola or a veranda?

Height is usually the first hurdle

Height limits for outbuildings and garden structures are tighter within two metres of a boundary than they are in the middle of the garden. A structure with a flat or shallow roof is generally judged on its overall height at its highest point, including any upstand or gutter, not on the height you stand under. If your patio sits close to a fence line, this is the condition most likely to catch you out.

Position, and the word forward

Permitted development for these structures normally applies behind the principal elevation of the house. Putting a canopy or veranda across the front, facing the road, is a different conversation and much more likely to need an application. Corner plots and houses that face two streets need particular care, because what looks like the side to you may be treated as a frontage.

How much of the garden you are covering

There is a limit on the proportion of the original garden area that can be covered by buildings and structures. Existing sheds, garden offices and previous extensions all count towards it, which surprises people who have added things gradually over the years. If your garden already has several structures, check the total before ordering.

The properties where the rules are different

Listed buildings need listed building consent for work affecting them, conservation areas are more restrictive, and some newer estates carry planning conditions or covenants that remove permitted development rights entirely. None of these are exotic, and all of them are quicker to check now than to argue about later.

• Listed building, consent needed and permitted development does not apply in the usual way
• Conservation area, tighter limits and more scrutiny of appearance
• Article 4 direction, permitted development rights may be withdrawn
• New build estate covenants, a private restriction separate from planning law

Verandas, balconies and the specific wording

People often read that verandas are excluded from permitted development. That wording appears in the rules for house extensions and relates to raised platforms, balconies and verandas forming part of an extension. A ground level, open sided garden canopy is a different thing from a raised veranda platform, and this distinction is exactly why the phone call to your planning department is worth five minutes.

We fit structures, we do not determine planning applications. Confirm your case with your local planning authority before ordering, and get their answer in writing where you can.

How to check in one call

Ring the planning duty desk at your council with four facts ready and you will usually get a clear steer straight away. If the officer is uncertain, a formal lawful development certificate is the belt and braces route and gives you a document to keep with the house.

1. 1Say what the structure is, open sided canopy, louvred pergola or glazed veranda
2. 2Give the overall height at the highest point
3. 3Give the distance to the nearest boundary
4. 4Say whether the property is listed, in a conservation area or subject to an Article 4 direction

Building regulations are a separate question

Planning and building regulations are not the same system. Open sided structures below the relevant floor area, and unheated ones, are commonly outside building control, but anything that encloses space, alters means of escape or affects drainage may not be. If your project moves from a veranda towards a glass room, ask about both.