Permitted Development (PD) is a set of rights granted by the UK Government's General Permitted Development Order 2015. It allows homeowners to carry out certain works — including building a garden room — without submitting a formal planning application, provided the work stays inside a defined set of rules.
The rules that matter for a garden room
- The building must be single-storey with a maximum eaves height of 2.5 m and a maximum overall height of 4 m (dual-pitched roof) or 3 m (any other roof).
- Where any part sits within 2 m of a boundary, the total height cannot exceed 2.5 m.
- The building must not be forward of the principal elevation of the house.
- Together with any other outbuildings, it must cover no more than 50% of the land around the original house.
- It must be for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling (an office, gym or studio qualifies; a self-contained sleeping annexe does not).
When PD does not apply
Permitted Development rights are removed or restricted for listed buildings, land in a designated area (Conservation Area, AONB, National Park), and any property where an Article 4 Direction has been served by the council. In these cases a formal planning application is required — we handle this on your behalf where needed.