Permitted development rights are a national grant of planning permission which allow certain building works and changes of use to be carried out without having to make a planning application. Whilst a large scale development or extension cannot avoid the process there are some permitted developments that can avoid this delay.
Under the General Permitted Development Order 1995 there are a couple of options available to schools:
An extension up to 25% of the original floor space or 100 square meters, whichever is the lesser, however, there are caveats that can restrict this development and the total floor area is classed as the original school so may already have been used up by previous projects.
For schools owned by the local authority there is an additional allowance of any small ancillary building, works or equipment on land belonging or maintained by them required for the purposes of any function exercised by them. This offers a greater amount of flexibility but more open to interpretation on whether the proposals are an ancillary function.
A local planning authority delivers the planning service for a local area and should always be the first point of contact for any planning enquiries. A local planning authority will have professional planning officers working for them who can offer planning advice, particularly on the interpretation of planning law and planning policy. Some local planning authorities charge for pre-application advice.
If you’re considering an ancillary building for your school (rather than primary use – ie: to be used as a forest school meeting point rather than a formal classroom building) then please don’t hesitate to get in touch for your non-obligation site survey!
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