Do Portable Buildings Need Planning Permission?

Portable Buildings are the same as any other building and may require planning permission to build on your site.

Planning permission for portable buildings is needed if the building is planned to be used for more than 28 days or will be a bigger surface area than 100 m2.

What Structures Don’t Require Planning Permission?

Temporary structures are built for portability so they can easily be moved to different relocations. Temporary Buildings that do not need planning permission are:

• Portable buildings that are an extension of an existing building may not need Planning Permission.
• If the structure of the portable building is less than 25% of the original by volume.
• The building is shorter in height than the original building.
• The Temporary Building is directly relevant to the purpose of the original structure.

When Planning Permission Is Required

• The building materially affects the external appearance of the building.
• The building exceeds 25% of the total area available on the site, or in the case of a warehouse or factory extension, is more than 25% of the size of the original building.
• The temporary building is closer than 5m to the site’s boundary.
• The building significantly reduces the amount of land available for parking and/or manoeuvring vehicles.

When To Apply For Planning Permission Fro Portable Buildings

The ideal time to apply for Planning Permission is before your purchase or install your portable cabin, to ensure you are covered and there are no issues with Local Authorities regarding the building.

How Long Does Planning Permission for a Portable Building take?

It can take eight to twelve weeks for an application to go through. For this reason, some businesses choose to go ahead without planning permission which is possible depending on the situation. As it’s possible to acquire retrospective planning permission if you can prove that your portable building is an emergency or urgent necessity. Most genuine cases get approved by Local Authorities without any issues, however, if not granted could require restoring the site to its original condition.

Failing to comply with the request to remove the Portable Building could result in an enforcement notice.

What Is Needed For Planning Permission for a Portable Building?

In the application for planning permission you will need the following documents:

• 5 Copies Of Your Application Forms
• Location Plan, Site Plan, Block Pan (Detailed)
• Signed Ownership Certificates
• Agriculture Holdings Certificate
• Design & Access Statement – Provides A Framework In Which You Explain How The Proposed Development Will Fit Into The Site & Its Development
• The Correct Application Fee ( England  = £462) (Extension Only = £206)