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Hello! I don’t know whether anyone would be able to help - I cannot find any information anywhere! We live in the South Downs National Park and our house has about an acre of ‘amenity land’. I’ve been told we’re not allowed to remove the fence separating it from our garden, or to turn it into ‘garden curtilage’. BUT I can’t find anything that formally states what you can and can’t do. I’d really like to put a play area on it for our kids but have no idea whether this would be acceptable? VERY grateful for any advice, thanks! Ben

Hi Folks, My first post here. I have so far put down an elevated concrete pad (30cm high) and have also built the walls out of solid dense 7.3N concrete blocks.Aas it stands the height of the highest block is 2.73m high including the concrete pad height (front of build). The problem is once the single-pitched roof is on the building height will be roughly 3.10m high. I have since been doing some digging and it seems the building may be too high? I have attached an image below so you can see the plan. I know people who have buildings just as high and some higher! that actually touch the boundaries of their neighbours and have been passed by the local council (Norwich, UK). So I'm confused as to what is ACTUALLY permissible and what's not, given the information online and the contradictory reality. Can somebody help? Also is there anything else I need to think about given the size of the building. Thanks

We are hoping to build a rear extension to our semi detached property. I know the new rules are 6meters, i was thinking what if i go longer and not the full width of the house. For example if i were to go 6.5 meters back and take a bit off the width to keep within the square footage? Please help!

I read an article the other day which I believe said that for some circumstances of Self or Custom Build there was no fees for pre-application advice or the actual Planning permission. I thought this amazing and was going to come back to check it out but unfortunately I have lost the link. Searching for it again has drawn a blank, and all LA's appear to charge whether its self build or not. Anyone else come across this? ( I don't mean zero CIL contributions by the way)

We're planning to put a fairly substantial wildlife pond onto the agricultural part of our new plot. I understand that we need to apply for PP for this as it will be quite large. Has anyone else gone through this process and is there any advice to be had?

If driving past Lancaster on the M6, you see the tell-tale mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion, that'll be me. And here's why. Advice please. The land next door to me has planning permission for stables. The owner applied for and was refused planning permission for a separate house on the same land. The subsequent appeal was rejected. The owner continues to live there in a caravan. I asked for advice from my Councillor. This is the response she got from the Head of Planning (verbatim) We are investigating it and will take any necessary enforcement action if and when a breach of planning control is clearly identified. Unfortunately [... name...] is currently using Part 4 of the General permitted Development Order to justify the caravan remaining on site. This allows for the provision on land of buildings, moveable structures, works, plant or machinery required temporarily in connection with and for the duration of operations being or to be carried out on, in, under or over that land or on land adjoining that land. Any building, structure, works, plant or machinery permitted by Class A must be removed when the works are complete. We will check to see what works [s/he] is carrying out and whether they have or need permission. If not we will take appropriate action. If the works are either permitted development, or have the benefit of planning permission then even if [s/he]is carrying out those works at a slow pace, that would be sufficient to allow [...] to remain with [his/her] caravan on the site. We did try to enforce a similar case a few years ago where we felt that the works being carried out were of such a small scale and being carried out at such a slow pace but an appeal was submitted and the council lost. We therefore have to be careful that our case is robust this time. One interpretation of the Head of Planning's response is that it seems to be OK to take 10 years to 'finish' the job because at the end of that time, the person has a right to build. What does temporary (above) mean? I am in dire need of advice on a strategy to deal with this issue. A good outcome for me would be for the applicant to build the stables, and then move out. Or apply successfully for planning permission, and remain.

Let me take you with me on my first steps on the road to cynicism in the building sector. For some reason (sewage smells?) many people appear to delay attention to the soft and smelly until it’s either too late or until they’ve backed themselves into the smallest room in the house; and then, trousers round their ankles, they allow someone to lock the door from the outside. Evidence? Use the search terms refusal and percolation on our LPA website. ‘Refused pending percolation test results’ is all too common. Imagine then my incredulity when, on the recommendation of a colleague, a company turns up to do a ‘PERK test (mate)’ for a drainage field on our land. Just a bit of context…. we live in sight of what was a clay quarry, within cricket ball throwing distance in fact So, there might just be a bit of clay around “Yeah, that looks fine (mate) you’ll get a drainage field on here no bother” he says without so much as lifting a shovel. “Tickety boo ” I say. “Gonna do the percolation test then?” “Aye… I’ll get ‘t shovel from ‘t van” “Where’s your machine then?” I ask. “No need for one (mate)” “I’ll get the tea on then” . Tea duly made…. yer man’s gone A square foot of the turf has been gently disturbed in one spot, and carefully replaced. An alarm bell sounds in the dim, dark recesses of my brain. And instantly switches off. Time for the pub. Friday is International Party Night in our place. Monday – Here are verbatim copy and past unedited (anonymised) passages from the written report; …I can confrm [sic!] that we have carried out a porosity test to determine the suitability of the sub soil. The percolation results indicate that an excavation area of 23m2 for the sub surface irrigation system is required…. …Condition of soil: Loam soil to the base of the excavation…. …Number of excavations: No.3 trail [sic!] pits to a depth of 550mm…. …Percolation values: Pit 1 – 16 secs/mm. Pit 2 – 20 secs/mm. Pit 3 – 19 secs/mm. Average percolation value: 19 secs/mm…. (Condition of soil: Loam soil to the base of the excavation.) The briefest look at H2 Drainage Fields and drainage mounds page 31 to 33 shows the requirement for hole to be dug to 300mm below the intended invert (para 1.33 page 32). In our case that would be a two meter deep hole at least. So, trying to be fair, I suggest to the company that I pay for a properly constituted percolation test. Here’s part of the emailed response from the company . ..However [our report] would be based on the procedure we carried out [reported in the quotation above] to confirm the first report which we have done 100’s of times and never been questioned by Building Control/Planners once. Talking to a different company rep about the matter and he grins disarmingly. And tells the story of a completely built house without access to either off mains drainage or a sewer. Off-mains drainage can be a show-stopper, not a lot of people know that. If like me you aren’t a builder, there’s no substitute for reading and reading and reading.