Do Shepherd’s Huts Need Planning Permission?
If you are considering purchasing a Shepherd’s hut it is highly recommended to get the advice of a planning consultant with specific knowledge in the Shepherd’s Huts and Caravans Act, very early on in the process to find out whether planning permission is necessary. These people are experts in their field and understand the subject a lot better which will be a benefit to you.
Each case is taken on an individual basis and several factors are considered when assessing whether planning permission is required. If you are using your shepherd’s hut for your own personal use and it is in the confines of your own garden and is an addition to the main building of your house, planning permission is generally not required. If it is being used for commercial use and will be located outside of your own garden, or you live in the grounds of a National Park or other conservation area, or your house is a listed building, planning permission will almost certainly be required.
Due to the vast number of factors that are considered with regards to planning permission, it really is a good idea to get a professional onboard. A planning consultant will assist you in finding out the history of the local area, whether similar applications have been approved, through to analysing the towns plans and whether tourism is something they’re looking to focus on which could be a supporting factor in your application.
Different Planning Rules
There are particular planning laws that apply to land within the curtilage of a domestic house and those affecting the land outside that area. A curtilage is defined as the enclosed land surrounding a dwelling (your home). If your home is based in an urban location this would be the garden that surrounds your house; however, if you are based in the countryside, these boundaries may not be so clear. If you are planning on keeping your shepherd’s hut on farmland, it can be particularly confusing as these boundaries may have been mixed with agricultural use and so it’s not easy to tell where the domestic dwelling begins and ends. As a result of this it is essential to get a planning consultant or maybe even a solicitor involved to clearly define the curtilage of your dwelling. It is worth instructing this advice as this may be the difference of you needing planning permission and it not being necessary.
Planning for a Shepherd’s Hut vs Applying for an Alternative Building
The increasing popularity of shepherd’s huts is mainly due to their high quality and the investment potential in renting them out to tourists. Another advantage to shepherd’s huts is that they generate substantially less paperwork and hassle in the construction of them than other buildings. Conservatories, for example, require various companies including architects to design the structure, planning consultants to arrange the planning permission and tradesmen such as plumbers and electricians to ensure that the new building is suitable to live in. The responsibility of ensuring that a conservatory can potentially be passed around by several companies and prolong the process of getting it built. The building, installation and administration of a shepherd’s hut is all handled with us at LB caprentry. So, if you think that applying for planning permission for a shepherd’s hut is bad. It could be a lot worse!
Failing to Comply with Local Authorities
Failing to obtain planning permission where required, either by not applying for it at all or going ahead with the building when planning was rejected, is considered a planning breach. If permission wasn’t sought before construction, the local authorities usually do allow people to submit a retrospective application.
If the retrospective application is rejected or a building is found to be constructed after a failed planning application, an enforcement notice can be issued which requires the recipient to return the building back to its original state. Although these enforcements can be appealed, it is illegal to go against them.
A refusal of planning permission or an enforcement notice could be disastrous for your new business particularly if you have already started trading. It has the potential to ruin a company’s reputation and cause a big loss in earnings. For this reason, it is essential that planning permission is sought and that you enlist the help of experts before you purchase your shepherd’s hut.