Fast-track your extension plans

WITH LESS RED TAPE AND CHANGES TO THE RULES, BUILDING PROJECTS JUST GOT EASIER, SAYS SAM WYLIE-HARRIS.

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IF YOU'RE in your forever home, planning your dream extension for indoor outdoor living, or considering a loft conversion, this could be the perfect time to make it happen.

Thanks to recent changes to planning rules, many homeowners can now extend their homes more quickly - often without needing full planning permission at all.

These updates to permitted development rights (or PD rights) make it simpler to carry out common improvements, says Simon Rix, planning expert for the Homebuilding & Renovation Show and director of Planix. UK Planning Consultants, provided you follow a few key rules.

Here Simon explains what you need to know.

What's changed?

In recent years, the government has gradually expanded what's allowed under permitted development, outlines Simon. "This means you can carry out certain types of building work without needing full planning permission - cutting down on paperwork, delays, and thus costs."