Getting the right information & advice
The guidance on our Resource Library page offers advice in more detail.
In addition, further guidance on common building projects is also available on the LABC Front Door website.
What is the difference between planning and building control
Please contact us and the relevant council's planning team with details and sketches.
Some building types and extensions are exempt from the building regulations. This means an application does not need to be submitted to Building Control. It is advisable to ensure that any proposed structure is not constructed so that it restricts ladder access to windows serving a room in the roof or upper floor. These may be needed as an emergency escape route in the case of fire.
If your proposal is found to be exempt, we can provide written confirmation that the work does not require approval. This service does incur a charge. You may find it useful to keep our response for future reference. In particlular, when you come to sell the property in the future.
You might still need Planning Permission
Please check with your local planning department at West Berkshire Council or Wokingham Borough Council.
Alternatively, the Planning Portal website's interactive house guide helps offer guidance. Please remember, the owner of the property or land, is legally responsible for complying with the relevant planning rules and building regulations. Shops and flats are included in the terrace guide.
Once you are ready to make an application, our guidance helps explain the options for making an application to us.
Conservatories
A conservatory is normally exempt if it is:
- built at ground level
- less than 30m2 in internal floor area
- separated from the rest of the house by external windows and doors
- glazed or translucent material is used for a minimum of 50% of the new walls and 75% of the roof
- the fixed electrical/heating installations comply with the requirements of the building regulations.
Note - You will however need building regulations approval if you need to create a new structural opening between your new exempt conservatory and the rest of your home.
Porches
Are normally exempt if they are:
- built at ground level and less than 30m2 internal floor area
- separated from the rest of the house by external windows and doors
- the fixed electrical/heating installations comply with the requirements of the building regulations.
Garages & carports
Would not normally need building regulations if:
- it is a new attached carport, open on at least two sides and the internal floor area is less than 30m2
- it is a non-combustible detached garage less then 30m2 and it doesn’t contain sleeping accommodation. (If it is built of combustible materials the garage must be at least 1m from the property boundary.)
Detached buildings
Small detached buildings such as a garden shed or summerhouse in the garden will not normally require building regulations if the floor area of the building is less than 15m2.
If the floor area is between 15-30m2 you will not normally require building regulations providing that the building is either at least 1m from the boundary or it is constructed of substantially non-combustible material.
