James Baird

Thanks for the replies. When buying the property the conversion was raised, however the previous owner produced the building control signoff/certificate, so I can only assume no one checked or believed planning was required. As for concealment, I guess going down the building control route with the council to see the work could be used to demonstrate concealment was not the aim. Regarding parking, we live in a cul-de-sac which isn't maintained by the council (stated in the deeds). I also own the land in front of my driveway which gives me enough space to park a 3rd car across the front of my cars on the driveway. This also allows enough space (another car width further in front) to get past. Would the highway authority get involved in this scenario for a 3rd space?

We have an integrated garage which the previous owner part converted 8 years ago. The front 1m depth of the garage is in its original state with a garage door, and this is used for storing bikes etc, behind this is the converted room. This work was signed off and certified by building control at the time. I was looking to convert the remaining front 1m section and brick up the garage door and insert a window, so I contacted the council. I was told there was a condition that stated the garage has to be used as a garage, and that whilst the work was signed off, it required planning permission. The 10yr rule and not the 4yr rule is applicable, so they could turn around to enforce this, or even force me to revert to original garage. I was also told that another potential issue with getting permission was that I'd need to find an additional car parking space, as converting the garage would effectively mean losing one. Currently I have space for 2 cars on the driveway, so finding a 3rd space would be a problem (we only have 2 cars). Apparently the conversion would also mean that it would be classed as a 4th bedroom (I'd use it as an office), which is another reason for needing 3 car spaces. It appears the garage was 4.9m x 2.9m, so not sure whether that would have been classed as 1 space or even 0.5, so possibly an argument for not needing to find a 3rd space? Do I apply for full planning permission now or wait until the 10yr limit has come up? I'm assuming there wouldn't be anything stopping me from doing the work mentioned above after 10yrs, as technically it's no longer a garage. There is also the issue about parking if I do apply for planning permission. Thanks for your advice.