by ITM Ventures 
The UK government has recently announced that thousands of homeowners will be able to extend their properties quickly and easily without the need for a full planning application, under rules made permanent since May 2019. In addition, restrictive planning rules have also been axed, which will ensure business owners can respond quickly to changing trends on the high street. The move builds upon changes to the law which allow business owners to change the use of buildings from takeaways to new homes without undergoing a full planning application.
The Housing Minister, Kit Malthouse MP, said: “These measures will help families extend their properties without battling through time-consuming red tape. By making this permitted development right permanent, it will mean families can grow without being forced to move. This is part of a package of reforms to build more, better, faster and make the housing market work – and sits alongside our drive to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid 2020s”.
The government has also announced that it will relax rules in England to allow more shops to be converted into homes. The move is aimed at addressing the housing crisis in the country and will pave the way for more home extensions and conversions of shops into houses.
The new rules will allow homeowners to add up to two additional stories to their homes, providing the extension is within the height of the existing roofline and does not exceed 18 meters. The new rules will also allow commercial buildings to be converted into residential properties without the need for a full planning application. The government has stated that the new rules will help to address the housing crisis in the country by making it easier for people to extend their homes and convert commercial buildings into homes.
The new rules have been welcomed by many in the property industry, who have long called for a relaxation of planning laws to help address the housing crisis in the country. However, some have expressed concerns that the new rules could lead to a proliferation of poorly designed and built extensions and conversions. The government has stated that it will work with local authorities to ensure that the new rules are implemented in a way that is sensitive to the local environment and that they do not lead to a proliferation of poorly designed and built extensions and conversions.
