Imagine sitting in the shiny new kitchen of your recently built or refurbished home, eating your favourite breakfast, let’s say scrambled eggs on toast, done to perfection. You are feeling pretty good, partly because you are in a home made the way you want it, and perhaps to a large extent made by you. But then comes the thud of envelopes hitting your new door mat. There are a smattering of house warming cards, perhaps a bank statement for that account you forgot to go paperless for, but also sitting there is an envelope with your local council’s logo on it. Not something you were expecting, so you open that one first. And when you do, it’s terrifying news. You have been served an Enforcement Notice, giving you eight months to stop using your house as a home — basically an eviction order of sorts.
If this sounds far-fetched, it actually happened to Paul (not his real name) a couple of years ago. Paul’s main problem was he didn’t understand the planning system, or more specifically he didn’t understand what it required him to do or what various planning terms meant. He thought he did, but he didn’t. Ultimately this is what caused him to be issued with an Enforcement Notice. For context, Paul turned a barn into a dwelling (incorrectly) thinking he had the right to, and he also extended it under PD rights.
Paul later became one of my clients, but had he found me just six months earlier, I could have saved him from this nightmare scenario entirely. So what happened?
FIRST, LET’S DEFINE A KEY PLANNING TERM: DEVELOPMENT
Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av Homebuilding & Renovating.
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Denne historien er fra February 2022-utgaven av Homebuilding & Renovating.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Back to black
Dramatic black finishes and industrial touches add impact to Charlotte and Sam Tisdall's extended end-terrace home
Change for good
A last-minute decision to build a kitchen extension instead of a general update turned out to be a wise move for the owners of this detached period property
High praise
After converting a run-down gospel hall into a unique 1930s-inspired home-complete with geodesic dome - Alice Deuchar and Daniel Schamroth pronounced it a resounding succes
Lifetime achievement
Replacing a tired 1960s bungalow with a bespoke prefabricated contemporary house allowed retired architect Helen Heslop Brunt and her husband Martin to fulfil a long-held dream
Self-build for beginners PART 13 PRE-CONSTRUCTION GUIDE
Make sure that your insurance, health and safety, build and cost schedules and all documents are all in place before kick-off
ECO LANDSCAPING
Creating a garden with green credentials isn't without its challenges, but there are plenty of ways you can reduce its impact on the environment, once you know how
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT PASSIVHAUS VENTILATION?
Heat and energy expert David Hilton explains the benefits, options and costs of this ultimate heating standard
HOW MUCH DOES EXTERNAL WALL INSULATION COST?
It's touted as an affordable home insulation method, but is external wall insulation worth the outlay and what are the lifetime costs? We look at the figures...
Open-plan kitchen DAVID HOCKNEY EXTENSIONS
From structural considerations and zoning to layout ideas and lighting, our practical guide to creating your new space has it covered
RENOVATING A GEORGIAN HOME
Known for their elegant architectural features, Georgian homes need to be restored sensitively to make them fit for modern life