Planning permission FAQs

Do I need permission to change or replace windows?

If you live in a flat or maisonette, you will need planning permission to change any windows or doors.

In the case of houses, you don’t usually need planning permission. However, you will if your property is covered by an Article 4 direction which removes permitted development rights or is listed.

If your property’s in a conservation area and there is no Article 4 (removing your rights to replace windows), you won’t need planning permission. To check if your proposal is permitted development, you can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.

Do I need permission to install satellite dishes?

You require planning permission to put up a satellite dish in a flat or any other premises. You may be able to put up a satellite dish in a house without permission, under permitted development rights.

To see if your proposed works fall under permitted development rights, you can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.

Do I need permission to create a roof terrace?

Yes. You will need to apply for planning permission to create a roof terrace for a flat or a house.

Do I need permission to make a basement?

If your property is a flat or maisonette, you’ll need planning permission to make a basement. This includes installation of lightwells.

If your property is a single house, you don’t need to apply for planning permission to create or extend a basement provided:

• the basement is limited to the existing footprint of the house, and...
• the use of this space supports the function of the main house

If you want to use the basement as an independent living unit, you’ll need planning permission. This also applies to houses in conservation areas.

If the basement extension requires a lightwell or any external alterations to the house, you’ll need planning permission.

To check if your proposed works fall under permitted development rights you can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.

Do I need permission to install a solar panel?

If you live in a single-family house, you don’t always require planning permission to install:

• wind turbines
• solar panels
• ground source heat pump
• air source heat pump.

Find out more about home energy generation on the Planning Portal.

Do I need permission to change or replace boundaries, fences, and railings?

You don’t need planning permission if you propose to:

• take down a fence, wall, or gate
• alter, maintain, or improve an existing fence, wall, or gate (no matter how high) if you don't increase its height

You’ll need planning permission to erect a new boundary wall, fence, railings, or gate that:

• is over one metre high and is next to a road used by vehicles (or the footpath of one)
• exceeds two metres high elsewhere 

Do I need permission to install flues, pipes, and chimneys?

You’ll need planning permission to install flues, pipes, and chimneys in a flat.

It might fall under permitted development if the proposal is not 1m higher than the highest part of the roof of the house.

To check if your proposed works fall under these rights, you can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.

If you house is covered by an Article 4 direction or within a conservation area you’ll likely need permission. For instance, if the proposal affects the side or front elevation of the house.

Do I need permission to create a hard-standing surface on my front garden?

Lots of households paving over their front gardens adds to the risk of surface water flooding. In response, the Government has placed limits on what households can do.

For flats: you’ll need to apply for full planning permission to create any hard-standing surface.

For houses: you’ll need to make a householder application for any of the following:

• if the proposal exceeds 5m2
• if the hard surface will be made of non-porous materials
• if no provision will be made to direct run-off water to a permeable or porous area within land around the original house

Further guidance on this can be found below:

Planning permission - Paving your front garden on Planning Portal

Permeable surfacing of front gardens: guidance on GOV.UK

Please note that if you are planning to pave over your garden in order to park a vehicle you will need to provide a dropped kerb. You may need planning permission for this if:

• the property has the frontage directly onto a classified road. See here for a List of Classified Roads
• the property is a listed building
• the property is other than a house for a single-family, for example, a flat or maisonette 
• the property is in a conservation area

You will also need permission from the Council’s Highways Team, and you will need to enter into a conditional legal agreement. The Council’s vehicle crossover policy, application guidance, FAQs and legal agreement can all be found on our dropped kerbs webpage.

Do I need permission to prune or remove trees from my property?

You usually don’t need planning permission to prune or remove a tree unless it is in a conservation area. See our conservation and trees pages.

Do I need permission to install a canopy or an awning?

Yes, you’ll generally to need to make a full planning application to install a new awning and canopy. If you want to replace an existing awning or canopy, it must be like-for-like, or will need permission.

Do I need permission to install CCTV cameras?

You should apply for full planning permission to install, change, or replace a CCTV camera if:

• its dimensions will be greater than 75cm x 25cm x 25cm (including its housing)
• it will be positioned less than 2.5m from the ground
• it will protrude more than 1m from the wall
• it will be in contact with the property’s surface at a place more than 1m from any other point of contact
• it will be less than 10m from another camera on the property
• more than four cameras will be attached to the same side of the property in total
• more than 16 cameras will be attached to the whole property

Do I need permission to install a bike shed in my front garden?

• Download the guidance for bike sheds in front gardens