Ridgewood

So far our experience has been that it was worth it…..they have highlighted things that they would want us to address (which we’re happy to do), as well as preferred materials/finish (we asked for advice on this and again we are happy with their recommendations)….They want to do a site visit too, but the letter does close by saying that if all things addressed it would receive a “recommendation for approval”….so, let’s see! What are other people’s experiences? Has anybody ever addressed the required points and still been refused, or is it pretty much a given that if you address what they want it will go through?

@Temp We have found out that the adjoining land, which has the benefit of the covenant (or at least a very small part of it, as it’s part of a much larger plot/title deed totalling 215 acres) has an Option to Purchase and a Unilateral Agreement in place, in favour of a housing developer and plans have recently been approved for a new housing development on part of the land (about half of it/100 acres). The current planning permission does not show any plans to build on the small parcel of land actually adjoining the property in question….but it does beg the question whether or not it is now considered ‘sold’? The registered proprietor on the title deed remains the Landed Gentry.

Close! Landed gentry, yes, but part of a converted farmhouse and associated outbuildings sold off in 1978 and converted into 3 dwellings; one of which is now up for sale. Plot is about 3rd of an acre. We need to establish whether or not we could build a garage in the grounds….if not, it’s a non-starter

Please can somebody help with interpreting a covenant contained in the second schedule of a title deed? Does it mean that it only applied from the point of land transfer until such time that the house was developed, then completed and then sold and paid for? Or does it still remain binding? No house bungalow garage greenhouse shed or other building or erection shall be erected or placed on any part of the property and no alteration or extension of any existing building thereon shall be made without the written consent of the Agent for the time being of the unsold parts of the [Estate] (hereinafter called the"Agent") and no work on any such building alteration or extension shall be commenced until plans elevations and specifications as certified by the Agent following completion and until the Purchaser shall have paid his usual proper fees and expenses (including VAT) for approving and certifying the same

Thank you, that’s really helpful IanR. The only thing we can see that was done to the farmhouse was the addition of a porch and the erection of a single garage in the farmhouse curtilage (which we want to take down as it’s far too small for our needs). This was because the main entrance to the farmhouse was moved to the back garden to allow the front courtyard to be divided up for the two new dwellings made from the barns. Historic Google earth (and the title plan) show that the original curtilage was extended/added to at the time of planning to make a larger enclosed garden area for the farmhouse. I understand there may be some dispute that all of the enclosed land could be classed as curtilage, but the area we want to erect the double garage in, definitely is in the original curtilage, again, as shown on both Google earth and the title plan. And, yes, we are making sure things are sorted before buying…it was just while waiting we wanted to throw a hypothetical question out there for thoughts and opinions on here, which are really helpful.

Still awaiting information on whether or not PD rights were removed at the time of the original planning application approval….so the ‘what if’s’ and uncertainty continue to buzz around my head 😩 Does anybody have any experience of this situation (particularly in the green belt)…what do people do when they have no PD rights AND then they are turned down for planning (in this case for a double sized garage/outbuilding), meaning you basically ending up with a lovely big house, with a lovely big enclosed garden (curtilage) but then not being able to sufficiently store things away or enjoy any kind of tinkering/ hobbies in an outbuilding?!

Thank you for replies….. No Article 4 direction I would say the garage is obviously in the garden. It can only be reached by entering the site through a private wooden gate which leads exclusively to the garage, gardens and house along a gravel driveway (ie no shared access or public right of way). The whole area (as identified on the title plan) is completely enclosed by a 2m+ hedge on 3 sides and a picket fence on a small section of the remaining boundary at the point where it shares a boundary in the courtyard area with the neighbouring property.

Thanks for your reply gravelrash. Still trying to get hold of the original plans and planning permission documents. I’m not sure if I’ve got confused or misunderstood your reply, but I was referring to a rural garden (ie a residential garden not in a built up area) being classed as Previously Developed Land (PDL/brownfield land) Is that what you were referring to, or were you referring to permitted development rights potentially being removed at the time of original planning and development?

Hi all New to here and to the world of planning permission, so please bear with me! We are currently buying a house in the Green belt. The house is the original farmhouse and forms part of a courtyard style mews with two further dwellings, which were converted from the old stabling and outbuildings of the farmhouse back in 2002. The properties are surrounded on all sides by fields, which are mainly used for horses, stabling and grazing. They are reached by a long shared access private road, which crosses the open fields from the main highway. The farm house itself is then entered through a private gravel driveway, which leads to a single brick build garage, roughly in the middle of a large private garden area. We would like to take down the single garage and replace it (in a slightly different place) with a steel framed double sized outbuilding approximately 6m x 7m x max 3m eaves with a 10degree pitched roof. The outbuilding will be largely hidden by existing shrubs and trees in the garden, as well as the natural hedgerow, which forms the boundary around the garden and sits a good 2m+ high. The steel outbuilding will be lower in overall height than the current garage, which is your usual permitted development size of 2.5m eaves, 4m pitch. Am I right in saying that this area/garden is classed as Previously Developed Land, so we should be ok? Or, does it still have to follow the rules for ‘appropriate’ and ‘inappropriate’ Green belt development?? What do you think the challenges might be from the planning authority? (We have tried to get pre-planning advice, but it remains ‘suspended due to unprecedented demand’ following Covid!!), which is not very helpful! We’re just not sure if we’re going to run into problems by, for example, requesting to take one structure down and replace it with something bigger, etc? Or will that not apply? Also, does the question of ‘openness’ still apply if PDL? And if so, do you think it can be deemed as impacting on openness simply for being a larger structure (even though it will be lower in stature and more screened than the existing garage, due to the area we would like to put it in)? Any thoughts, tips on what to say and ‘not say’ in the planning application or general advice and information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks