A timber workshop is a great investment – somewhere you can safely store your tools, work away on your hobbies, or even expand your motorbike collection. But the thought of applying for planning permission might be putting you off the purchase altogether.
Don’t worry. You can still have the workshop of your dreams. You might assume that a bigger building like a workshop will definitely need planning permission, but it isn’t always the case.
We’ll use the Gillies & Mackay planning permission checklist to determine whether your workshop needs planning permission. Plus, we’ll look at what your next steps are if your project does require planning permission.
What is permitted development?
Some small additions to a house are considered ‘permitted development’. The addition of a shed, garage or workshop can be permitted development if it meets the right requirements. If your workshop is deemed as a permitted development, you don’t need to worry about applying for planning permission.
Luckily, you can determine if your proposed workshop is a permitted development using our Planning Permission Checklist.
How do I use the G&M Planning Permission Checklist?
This checklist applies to developments in Scotland. If none of the criteria in the planning permission checklist apply to your workshop, then it’s unlikely you’ll need planning permission.
Remember – it’s always best to double-check with your local council if you’re unsure.
Let’s take a look at each of the criteria:
Is your workshop going to be used for business?
If you’re using your workshop specifically for business, you might need planning permission, but it’s a case-by-case situation. If your workshop is your business’s registered address, you’re causing a considerable amount of noise, or increasing traffic on your street, these are reasons that you could need planning permission.
But if you’re working on your own in your workshop, working from home for another business, or the workshop isn’t a registered business address, it’s unlikely that you’ll be disturbing anyone, and therefore you won’t need planning permission.
Further Reading: Do I need planning permission for a garden office?
Do you live in a tenement block?
In a tenement block, you tend to share a garden with your neighbours. Adding a workshop to your shared garden will impact your neighbours, and therefore this isn’t a permitted development. This means you’re likely to need planning permission for the build.
If you do apply for planning permission for the workshop, your neighbours can still dispute the development. So it’s probably best to let them know about your workshop plans, somewhere along the way.
Do you have upstairs or downstairs neighbours?
If you have upstairs or downstairs neighbours, you might share your garden. Building a workshop in this shared space is not a permitted development. Even if you have the agreement of the neighbour with whom you share the garden, it’s always best to obtain planning permission when adding a building to a shared space.
If you don’t share the garden with your upstairs or downstairs neighbour, you might still need planning permission anyway. Your workshop could encroach on their view or the light coming into their home. This would have a considerable impact on your neighbours, so you’d need to obtain planning permission.
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Is your workshop outside your garden?
If you’re unsure whether a part of your garden belongs to you, it’s best to check the property deeds before trying to put a workshop on it. You can’t put a development on land that isn’t yours, even if you do apply for planning permission – so it’s always best to double-check before you spend time filling out the application.
Is your workshop at the front of your home?
If you want to place the workshop beyond the front elevation of your home, it’s not a permitted development, and you’ll need planning permission.
The front elevation is the front face of your house, and anything forward of this, up to the boundary of your property (the front garden would usually be in this area). It is possible to put your workshop along the side of your house, as long as the side elevation doesn’t face a road, and the workshop doesn’t go beyond the front elevation.
The easiest case is when your workshop is in the back garden. This is a permitted development and you won’t need planning permission.
Is your workshop within 1m of a boundary?
If your workshop is 2.5 metres or taller, it needs to be 1 metre away from the boundary to be a permitted development. To place a workshop that is 2.5m + in height on the boundary of your property, you will need planning permission.
If your workshop is under 2.5m in height, you can put it near the boundary of your property. And this will still be a permitted development.
For example, our Pent Workshops are low enough on their low side that they can go near the boundary without needing planning permission; however, the high side of the pent is 2.5 metres +, so would need to be put a metre away from the boundary to avoid planning permission.
Is your workshop more than 4m high?
A workshop over 4 metres tall is not a permitted development and will need planning permission. But most timber workshops will always be under 4 metres tall if they’re for residential use, so this is unlikely to be a problem.
Does your workshop have walls more than 3m high?
This rule refers to the eaves height of your workshop – where the walls meet the roof. This height must be under 3 metres to count as a permitted development. If the eaves of your workshop are taller than 3 metres, you’ll need planning permission. Again, this is unlikely to be the case for a home workshop.
Do you live in a listed building or conservation area?
If you live in a conservation area or a listed building, you’ll likely need planning permission to add a workshop to your property.
There are some exceptions to this rule, though. For a conservation area, a building can be a permitted development as long as it’s under 8m². In a listed building, your workshop needs to be even smaller to be a permitted development, under 4m². If you want to go bigger than this, which you probably will for a workshop, you’ll need planning permission.
Is 50% of your back garden undeveloped?
You need to leave half of your rear curtilage – which basically means your back garden – undeveloped. This means that your proposed workshop plus any other buildings in your back garden, such as a greenhouse or shed, can’t take up more than 50% of the back garden.
If your workshop is going to cause over 50% of your back garden to be ‘developed’, then you’ll need planning permission.
What if I do need planning permission for a Workshop?
You’ve used the G&M Planning Permission Checklist, and you’re pretty sure your Workshop will need planning permission. What do you do now? Well, there’s no need to panic; the planning application process isn’t as gruelling as it may seem.
If you choose to buy a G&M Workshop, we offer a planning permission service for a fee of £696. This covers the council’s application fee (usually around £300) and all the admin that we take care of for you.
Or, to keep costs down, you can always do the planning application yourself. All you need to do is prepare your proposal by attaching the necessary documents and paying the relevant fees. The fees can be calculated using the ePlanning Scotland fee calculator. Then you can submit your application to your local council via the online portal.
It takes around 6-8 weeks for a planning application to be accepted, depending on the council. Still, the planning process is nothing to be put off by. You can have the workshop you envisioned, it might just take a little longer than expected.
Do I need planning permission for a workshop?
Hopefully, now you have a clear idea of whether your workshop project needs planning permission or not, and what next steps to take if you do.
If you’re interested in a G&M Workshop, our Sales Team will always advise you on whether your project needs planning permission or not during your Consultation. If you’d like to get the ball rolling on a workshop delivery, book a consultation today.
Remember that you have the choice to do the planning application yourself, or we can take care of it for you. You’ll be able to sit back, relax and focus on planning your first project inside your workshop.
