Planning Policy

Porch in Bath and North East Somerset

Do you need planning permission for a porch in Bath and North East Somerset? Here is what the permitted development rules say, how Bath and North East Somerset Council’s designations change them, and what decides an application, grounded in the official guidance and quoted verbatim.

Front entrance and porch of a period house
Porch: small footprint, strict front-elevation limits
The short answer

Do you need planning permission for a porch in Bath and North East Somerset?

A porch is usually permitted development under Class D if it stays under 3 square metres, below 3 metres high, and at least 2 metres from any boundary fronting a highway. Whether a porch needs permission in Bath and North East Somerset still depends on your exact address and the designations on it.

1.0: The permitted development position

The starting point

A porch is usually permitted development under Class D if it stays under 3 square metres, below 3 metres high, and at least 2 metres from any boundary fronting a highway.

“This provides permitted development rights for the erection of a porch outside any external door of a house.”PD technical guidance, Class D · full text in the library → · official source →
2.0: What changes it in Bath and North East Somerset

How Bath and North East Somerset’s designations apply

Designation in Bath and North East SomersetPublished
Conservation areas35
Article 4 directions (PD removed)0
Listed building outlines0

In a conservation area or on a listed building the appearance against the front elevation is assessed, even where the size limits are met. Counts are read live from planning.data.gov.uk; your report checks them against your exact address.

3.0: How it’s decided

What Bath and North East Somerset weighs

In a conservation area or on a listed building the appearance against the front elevation is assessed, even where the size limits are met.

Your report

Get a planning report for your Bath and North East Somerset address

A Planning Policy report reads the designations on your exact Bath and North East Somerset address, quotes the Bath and North East Somerset Council and national policies that apply to a porch, and (on Pro) shows decided applications nearby with outcomes.

5.0: Questions

Porch in Bath and North East Somerset, answered

Do I need planning permission for a porch in Bath and North East Somerset?
A porch is usually permitted development under Class D if it stays under 3 square metres, below 3 metres high, and at least 2 metres from any boundary fronting a highway. Whether a porch needs permission in Bath and North East Somerset still depends on your exact address and the designations on it.
Does a conservation area affect a porch in Bath and North East Somerset?
It can. Even where the size limits are met, Bath and North East Somerset Council assesses the appearance of a porch against the character of a conservation area, and on a listed building separate consent is required.
How does Bath and North East Somerset decide a porch application?
In a conservation area or on a listed building the appearance against the front elevation is assessed, even where the size limits are met. A Planning Policy report quotes the specific Bath and North East Somerset Council Local Plan and national policies that apply, verbatim, and shows decided applications nearby.
6.0: More for Bath and North East Somerset

Other projects in Bath and North East Somerset