Planning Permission
You do not normally need to apply for planning permission to re-roof your house or to insert roof lights or skylights.
The new rules introduced on 1 October 2008 allow for roof alterations without the need for planning permission, subject to the following limits and conditions:
- Any alteration to project no more than 150 millimetres from the existing roof plane.
- No alteration to be higher than the highest part of the roof.
- Side facing windows to be obscure-glazed; any opening to be 1.7m above the floor.
- The permitted development regime for solar panels has different limits on projections and in relation to protected areas.
Building Regulations
If you want to carry out repairs on or re-cover less than 25 per cent of the area of a pitch or flat roof, you will not normally need to submit a building regulations application. You will need approval, however, if:
- You carry out structural alterations
- The performance of the new covering will be significantly different to that of the existing covering in the event of a fire
- You are replacing/ repairing more than 25 per cent of the roof area, in which case, the roof thermal insulation would normally have to be improved.
