Planning permission for external walls
Repairs, re-pointing and painting are permission-free, but cladding, render and external insulation need permission on designated land or where they change the appearance.
Keeping the outside of your house in good order is not a planning matter. Changing its finish, especially with cladding or render, can be, and it depends heavily on where the house is.
- Repairs, maintenance, re-pointing and re-painting
- Cladding or render in most areas where the materials are similar to the original appearance
- External insulation where it does not materially alter appearance and rights remain
- Cladding or render in conservation areas, National Parks, AONBs and the Broads
- Listed buildings, listed building consent for any significant external change
- Changes that materially alter the appearance where rights have been removed
- Flats and maisonettes, which do not have the same permitted development rights
Don't forget building regs
External wall insulation and re-cladding are notifiable under building regulations for thermal performance, fire spread and weather resistance, an increasingly important area. We can prepare the details and specification.
External wall insulation sits at the overlap of planning, building regs and energy performance, which is where our retrofit coordination service is useful. For appearance changes on a protected home we prepare the application. Ask on the contact page.
Frequently asked
Do I need planning permission to render or clad my house?
In most areas, cladding or render of a similar appearance is permitted development. But in conservation areas, National Parks, AONBs and the Broads it needs permission, and listed buildings need consent for any significant change.
Do I need permission to paint my house?
Not normally, painting is repairs and maintenance. The exception is listed buildings, where even redecoration of the exterior can need consent, and some conservation-area controls.
Not sure where your project stands?
Checking whether you need planning permission is one of the first things we do: on the house, before any drawings. Tell us about your project and we'll confirm the route.