Alan Ambrose

OK here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/639ae7e98fa8f5069839c7d7/Approved_Document_B__fire_safety__volume_1_-_Dwellings__2019_edition_incorporating_2020_and_2022_amendments.pdf Page 16:

>>> you need an exterior stair also Or some other form of escape e.g. a window or the right sort and dimensions.

Yeah, not totally clear what problem this is trying to solve, this is the only example I came across: ”A group of residents which meets certain requirements will be able to come together with a proposal for permission to be granted for development on their street, for example the addition of an extra storey to properties. The proposal can be put forward by the group of residents directly or with the assistance of an individual such as an architect.” I thought that an extra storey was PD already, so the example is a bit odd. I guess you could all vote that you were allowed dormers on the front of houses or something. Maybe of use more in cities? I know that some of my neighbours will vote ‘no’ to anything though.

Consultation on street votes begins https://www.planningportal.co.uk/services/weekly-planning-news/planning-news-11-december-2024 Suggest we all respond.

My understanding is that if you have habitable rooms down there you need an exterior stair also.

Another recent thread on here recommended getting an asbestos testing kit.

The vermiculite I've seen is grey-ish/white-ish granules, and the old stuff did tend to have some asbestos fibres in it. Looks like cork from here?

Yeah +1 for PoE for cameras, doorbells, wifi access points etc. A switch has traffic management, vlans etc so if you don't already know you need them, you probably don't and a hub will do. I like the Ubiquiti stuff as I feel it is 'semi-pro' rather than consumer.

Is it possible to chuck in a somewhat relevant question here? Re: What's the target for phase shift / decrement delay? I can't decide whether the optimum is 12h based on the idea of 'cancelling out' some of the daily temperature swing or 'very large' on the basis that the interior temperature swing will be super low?

And free : https://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/event_detail.php?eId=1048

>>> Or would we be better putting in the new supply first, and setting up some kind of temporary connection to it? FYI some people here have power run into a cabinet ('kiosk') by the DNO right at the beginning and then run their own cabling from that point on at a later date without further DNO involvement. You will eventually need to get official power to your house anyway (which often takes a while) so that may be a consideration. Also there's some discussion here on BH regarding the earthing arrangements needed for a building site 'TT' being different to those needed for the final house 'TN-C-S'. I'm sure a proper sparky will be along soon

FYI more CIL appeals than I expected: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-infrastructure-levy-appeal-decisions At least they're all listed in one place. Annoying that they're redacted - it makes them significantly harder to read. Standard planning appeal decisions are not redacted. As a (not very encouraging) example, this one, for instance, finds a technicality in favour of the LPA to invalidate a self-build exemption. Total BS if you ask me and against the intent of the self-build exemption - but consistent with CIL as a revenue raising activity and a fragile tax law laying in wait to trap the unwary: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64d5ec095cac650014c2ddaf/CIL_Appeal_1801243_26_Sep_22.pdf BTW CIL appeals seem to follow a totally different system to standard planning appeals. Nope, spoke to soon ... another list from the standard appeals portal: CIL Appeals.pdf I have not tried to reconcile the two lists... Also this: https://www.irwinmitchell.com/news-and-insights/expert-comment/post/102fdgq/the-famous-five-a-quickish-recap-of-case-law-on-the-operation-of-the-community Presumably there's an extended bunch of court decisions too for those taken beyond the appeal stage. @Haylingbilly - possible to share your CIL lawyer's details - I can't imagine there are many of them around.

>>> the description is changing, I’ve been advised that a new full application would be required. You can write pretty much put whatever you like for the description of a planning application. I suggest asking your architect whether you really need to submit a full application or whether it could be a variation of the old - possibly even accepting constraints on the basement design to make it a variation only. This could be important and may be the difference between paying CIL or not. I'm assuming you are looking at a non-trivial CIL amount. Mine is £40-60K atm depending which design I'm looking at - and that's excluding the basement floor area which will another 1/3rd to the CIL amount. I don't know whether we will definitely have a basement until I see the soil investigation results. Note that the reasoning for you to do a variation rather than a full application is solely because of the CIL impact - otherwise you might not care. I think we are in the exact same position except that I have asked ahead of time: + this is, there is existing planning on my plot and I would like to use that to get the services in while I'm waiting for the approval to come through for my new design. My CIL people are saying 'if you do that, you will invalidate your self-build exception and have to pay the CIL'. + you have already started on your build and want to substantially modify the design such that you might need to submit a new full application. Presumably you have sent in the CIL liability and self-build exemption forms. So, if my local CIL people are right, you would also invalidate your self-build exemption . I'll see if I can find the reasoning for their logic in the CIL 2010 Regulations when I get a few hours and determine (a) whether they're right and (b) if there's a workaround. You might check with your local CIL people, if you have not done so already, as they have some discretion. Yours may be more sensible than mine.

@eski009 - btw as a newbie to the forum, just so you know - the forum etiquette is that if you ask a question and people take time and energy responding, then you implicitly agree to consider the replies, and reply yourself etc. I'm not singling you out, just saying that there are some people who alight on Buildhub for the first time, ask a question, people reply - sometimes at length ... and we never hear from the original questioner again. OK I think you might have a snag - I've come across this myself. Like other UK tax laws, the CIL law ( https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/948/contents ) is very fragile, which means if you put a foot out of step, even accidentally, you get nailed. Fair? No. I also think that the CIL law is 'interpreted' by your local LPA - so not all LPAs read or implement CIL the same way. Also, I don't think there are many experts on CIL - I had a commercial property lawyer (read 'grown up') for my plot and she sad 'we cannot advise on CIL'. I don't think she realised that it was even part of the planning legislation. I have not read the legislation (yet) but I had this interaction with my local LPA's CIL department last summer. As the plot had planning already, I asked whether I could put in my services, driveway etc based on the old permission while I was waiting on them to decide on my new permission: "We would like to start getting the services and access arrangements started on this plot. The applications listed above are for the same single dwelling plot, a ‘greenfield plot’ located at xxx yyy. Planning was granted for a single storey dwelling under zzz back in November 2021. We have since proposed two variations in design for LPA consideration and these are still waiting for decisions - which we are told will be forthcoming over the next week or so. We have been told that the single storey design will be granted and the 1.5 storey design refused. We intend to take the latter to appeal. This is a self-build. The access arrangements, cart lodge etc are the same in both of the outstanding designs – it’s just the dwelling itself that varies. As we already have planning granted for a single storey dwelling, we would like to make a start on the installation of services and for the driveway for access. I imagine that we can simply signal a formal start under the original application and then ‘move the CIL arrangements’ as the new planning and/or appeal comes through. Would that be correct? If so, what is the correct procedure for ‘moving the CIL arrangements’?" They answered: "If your new applications were variations of the original consent, it would be possible to transfer a self build exemption across, however, as you have made new full applications this becomes somewhat more complicated. You cannot transfer a self build exemption from one full application to another. If you make a start and carry out a material operation to commence development, you could invalidate any possibility of claiming exemption on an alternative permission. Given the access arrangements are the same, you would effectively have already implemented a new permission on the day permission was granted and the CIL for it would be payable in full, immediately. I would recommend you wait to implement any permission until you have received the permission you intend to build out to avoid any potential issues down the line." This agrees with the response you got, although I imagine your local LPA CIL guys do have some flexibility. That said, they are a revenue raising team, so guess what - they probably love the fragility of their interpretation of the CIL law. So I suggest, a possible way around is to try to vary your original application (there are various mechanisms for that) so it's not a new application, just a variation of the old. That might mean some compromises in you design - maybe so it looks the same as the old to the casual observer, even though you have a basement now. If your variation gets turned down, you still have the original application intact. This assumes you have a bit of time to wait for the LPA's response. They may still refuse to vary based on the fact that it's an increase in floor area. But they may not. I found my local CIL guys a lot more approachable that the planning guys, so maybe you could get a face-to-face to see what they might allow or whether they might give you an exemption so you just pay the uplift for the extra floor space. They might decide it's a question for the planning guys and send you there or might take the question to the planning guys themselves. If you are a risk taker and have a good lawyer and the CIL law supports your position then you might also ignore their response, and be prepared to fight in the courts later. Do let us know what happens - I for one am still interested in this question. Also it builds the level of Buildhub knowledge.

Yeah I see - particularly the back view will need 5 downpipes.

FYI there's some minimum hearth size/height BC regs to observe. I might be tempted to make a PU / EPS / PIR former for the inside to save on concrete - otherwise it'll be proper heavy. Did similar for a concrete shower tray once. BTW I found a bit of EPDM was ideal for moving the stove around on the hearth without scratching it - before taking away the EPDM when the stove was in the right place.

>>> No need to reinvent the wheel. If gas is your only heating and DHW source, then I guess your highest gas use day in winter minus your lowest gas use day in summer wouldn't be far from your max heat requirement.

>>> I cannot believe that there are not sensors that can do this sort of thing though a copper pipe i.e. via sound. There are turbine ones and ultrasonic ones. They can measure flow and temperature and therefore 'heat flow'. Not cheap though, and as you might imagine, it's much harder to shine ultrasound through a copper pipe than it is to shine a LED (actually two LEDs) through your finger.

My dad worked for the GPO (i.e BT) and in his younger years used asbestos for cable protection; red lead for ... maybe something to do with batteries; vermiculite which back then contained asbestos fibres; and spent a deal of time up telephone poles with nothing more than a thick leather belt around his waist for protection. He died at 90 - mostly of 'old-age'. His hearing wasn't good - probably due to decades hanging around in Strowger exchanges. Imagine thousands of these operating at the same time:

Ah from here in 2015 prices, there's a few other scraps of information if you search. Allow inflation and +-50% for ground conditions?:

>>> The only way applicants and/or agents can obtain informal advice from an LPA is via a Pre-application enquiry. Depends on the LPA. Some will be old school and talk, some will do everything to avoid that - even if you submit formal applications. And some will be in between. @johndeere - which LPA is it?

The ones that work with Velux preferably - both horizontal and vertical in portrait if anyone knows. Yeah, here's the 'simple' table...anyone figured this out? I'm trying to lay out a block of veluxes and PV on the roof, of course, between some other stuff...

£100K - there's some numbers here on BH somewhere - err, search for 'basement'. I can't remember whether that's the incremental cost or the whole caboodle. >>> such as ground type Actually, that could make a big difference - if you're on soft clay and going to have to dig deep foundations anyway, then the incremental cost for the basement will be less. If you're on hard rock...you get the idea. p.s. I see I have 1.2 £K/m^2 as a rough number from one of the threads here.

>>> Just submit the application and see what the LPA say. Left to their own devices, the LPA may just repeat whatever guff they had in the original '80s permission. Hence, I think it's best to try and get some informal engagement with the case officer if possible with the argument that time and PD have moved on since then.

FYI I submitted a removal of condition application for £234 in October. In any case you want to maximise your chances of success, so it’s probably worth trying to engage with the LPA if you can.