Question about Planning Permission.

[Dave Bear]

Hi i have a friend who has a house their parent brought in 1991-1992 that had a Kitchen Extention, changing their old Kitchen to a Dinning area.

Their mother is having problems with their health can no longer walk upstairs, needs 2 knee opps and has no hip.

They are looking to try and get planning permission to extend the house by that build on the side to make a downstairs bedroom, and a toilet and turn the current downstairs toilet and bathroom into just a bathroom so can fit larger shower/bath for easy access to someone with mobility problems.

They may also look to extend bedrooms to ontop of that kitchen extention and to side.

THE PROBLEM....

Is they do not know if the orgininal Kitchen extension had any planning permission, so if they go to try and get extention planning permission they are concerned that, what would happen if the original extention was not regulated or planned and could face not only not getting planning permission for new work but then have to see the current kitchen pulled down.

The only reason they are not yet going to get planning permission and not proceeding to extend the house is simply at the risk that the extension to the Kitchen (that was already there when house was brought so could be as old as 1985-1987), would be declined and thus see them having to turn the dinning room back into a kitchen, when the dinning room is really small.

Any help would be aprieciated, as the family do not want to move or sell house due to sentimental value and 3 beloved pets burried in the Garden.

[Richard Webster]

You are confusing Planning and Building Regulations. No issue at all in Planning - Planners will accept that if the work was done in 1991-2 they can't do anything about it.

Building Regs is more difficult - Building Inspector could insist that you demonstrate compliance in respect of previous work when he comes to look at work now intended to be done.