From Monday February 6 the rules change over what can be done to alter houses and flats without needing planning permission.
Alastair Banks, OIC’s Planning Manager (Development Management) said: “The new rules are contained in a Scottish Government Order and are quite complex - so it still makes sense for anyone interested in altering their house or flat to contact a planning officer at the Council to check to see if the alterations would need planning permission or not.”
The new rules will allow extensions to houses that could be up to the same size again of the footprint of the original house, provided that no more than 50% of either the rear or front areas of spare land in the curtilage of the house are going to be built on and provided the extensions do not project towards a road from the principal or side elevations of the house.
These general rules also apply to things like garden sheds and other structures in the curtilage of a house.
Single storey extensions to a house within a metre of its boundary can project up to 3 metres from the rear wall if it’s a terrace house before requiring planning permission, or 4 metres for other types of houses; and they are limited in height to 3 metres to the eaves and 4 metres to the highest point.
There are other similar height restrictions on buildings and structures in the garden.
The new rules also allow for extensions over single storey provided they are built from the ground and not over existing parts of the house. However, these have to be at least 10 metres from the boundary of the house and they cannot go above the roofline of the house.
There are other provisions for porches, dormer windows, access ramps, decking, hard surfaces, walls & fences and for alterations (but not extensions) to flats.
A critical consideration for Orkney is that almost none of the new permitted development rights can be applied in conservation areas or in the curtilages of listed buildings.
The new permitted development rights and the rules governing them are all in The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2011 which can be accessed via http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2011/357/contents/made
For more information or advice about planned alterations, contact the Council’s planning team on tel 01856 873535 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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