Self Build Part 4 - Planning Permission Belfast
Self Build Part 4 - Planning Permission
Planning Permission
Getting planning permission has the potential to be the biggest barrier to building your own home. If you have bought a plot with detailed or outline planning permission (recommended and probably applicable to 90% of people) then you should be fairly safe. Problems might still occur if you wish to drastically alter the proposed dwelling, but as long as you stick roughly to proposal already submitted, things should go smoothly.
How to Apply
Always assume a new build will require planning permission. Your local council will have a development plan for the area, outlining what will be acceptable both now and in the future. It is worth contacting them to find out as much as you can about the development plan. You may well be able to work with your architect or self-build house kit supplier to better meet particular criteria.
You don't need to own a piece of land to apply for planning permission on it (strange but true). However, you do need to inform the owner as well as the leaseholder if they have more than 7 years left to run on the lease. You also need to inform any agricultural tenant.
Once you are ready to apply, contact you local council planning office and request a planning application form. You will need to decide if you are submitting an OPP or a DPP (Outline or Detailed Planning Permission). Complete the form and send it back along with the correct fee and any supporting documents. You now simply have to wait for the application to be approved or rejected. If it is approved (and it was a DPP), you can start to build straight away.
You can find out exactly how much the fees for submitting a Planning Application Here , on the Planning Portal website.
If your application is rejected, you have a couple of options. First of all, talk to a planning officer and try to get some clues as to why it was rejected, and then you can change the application accordingly and re-submit. Do this within 12 months and you will not have to pay the application fee again. You also have the option to appeal to the First Secretary of State. Appeals are a last resort and can take several months to resolve, with no guarantee that decision will be overturned. You have 6 months from the date on the application decision letter to appeal, should you wish to do so.
Assuming you have your DDP in place, you then need to apply for Building Regulations consent. Building Regulations are there to make sure the house you build will be structurally sound and poses no danger to both the occupier and the public. A building inspector will arrive to check up on the build at various stages. If things are not being done to his liking, he is legally able to order them made good.
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