What Is Permitted Development?
Written by James Walker · Last reviewed 15 August 2026
James Walker has 2 degrees in construction (BSc (Hons) Building Surveying · MSc Environmental Design of Buildings) and an extensive background in issue resolution, resolving over £4 billion of consumer issues.
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Permitted development rights allow certain building work to be carried out without applying for planning permission, provided it stays within defined limits on size, height and position.
The most common misunderstanding
Permitted development removes the need for planning permission. It does not remove the need for Building Regulations approval. These are separate systems and most work needs the second regardless.
Where the rights are restricted or removed
- Conservation areas
- Listed buildings
- Properties where rights have been removed by condition
- Flats and maisonettes, which generally do not have them
- Areas of outstanding natural beauty and similar designations
Proving it
Where work is permitted development, you can apply for a lawful development certificate confirming it. It is not mandatory, but it is useful evidence at sale, a buyer's solicitor asking why there is no planning permission is answered by a document rather than an explanation.
The limits are specific
For a single-storey rear extension in England, the standard limits are 3 metres beyond the original rear wall for a terraced or semi-detached house, and 4 metres for a detached one. Going further, up to 6 metres and 8 metres respectively, is possible through the prior approval route, where the council notifies your neighbours.
Other conditions apply throughout: maximum 4 metres height, eaves no higher than the existing house, no more than half the land around the original house covered, materials similar in appearance, and nothing forward of the front elevation facing a highway.
For loft conversions, the volume limits are 40 cubic metres for a terraced house and 50 cubic metres for a semi-detached or detached one.
Measure from the original house, not from an existing extension. That single error is the most common reason work turns out to be unlawful.
Check the current position with your local authority or the Planning Portal rather than relying on what applied to a neighbour's project, and be wary of sites describing proposed changes as though they were in force.
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