Do you need planning permission for an Orangery?

Common questions that we get asked on a regular basis include, 'Do we need planning permission for an Orangery?' and 'Does an Orangery need building regulations?'

Planning permission rules can be complicated and because the consequence of getting it wrong can be costly (rebuilding or even demolishing) you need to make sure you get it right.

There's a lot of information online, so we recommend you only take advice from someone who has significant experience or from trusted sources such as the planning office.

Do you need planning permission for an Orangery? (Updated for 2023)

An Orangery can be thought of as halfway between a conservatory and an extension - an extended space that has the insulation of half brick walls but also the benefit of lots of light and views of your garden.

For planning permission purposes, an Orangery is considered a single-storey extension and subject to the same guidelines and building regulations as an extension.

You DON'T need planning permission for an orangery IF you build within permitted development rights following the guidelines for what is acceptable.

We have a dedicated team at Everest who manage planning permission needs and we created this guide so you can get a feel for what you could build without needing planning permission.

This guide has been updated to include the Building Regulations Part O and Part F 2022.

Orangery

An Orangery and an extension fall under the same rules and are considered permitted developments and DON'T need planning permission (subject to limits).

Building regulation approval is required on any work.

You DO need planning permission for an Orangery if:

• More than 50% of the land around the 'original house' is to be covered (this includes any other buildings)
• The extension is forward of the front or side of the 'original house' that faces onto a road
• And the following limits…

You MAY need permission if you live in a listed building, designated area or fall under an Article 4 Direction.

1. Higher than the highest point of the roof
2. The eaves and ridge height are higher than the existing house (single-storey and two-storey)
3. The eaves height is more than 3 metres, if within 2 metres of the boundary

Orangeries built to the side:

1. More than single-storey or over 4 metres
2. Wider than half the width of the 'original house'

Orangeries built to the rear:

1. Extends beyond the rear of the 'original house' by over 6 metres (semi) or 8 metres* (detached house)
2. More than 4 metres in height

*The government has now made permanent these size increases as from May 2019.

**If the development is between four and eight metres to the rear of the property, then you must adhere to the neighbour consultation scheme and you have to contact your local planning office.

Other restrictions you need to check before building an Orangery

Original house

Planning guidelines refer to the 'original house' and it's important to understand what this means as it can make a big difference. The 'original house' is the dwelling as it was on the 1st July 1948, or if the house was built after this date, as it was when it was first built. You'll need to find out if any extensions or additions have been made to the house after this date (or when it was built) as they will count towards where your Orangery can be positioned. For example, if you live in a detached house and a five-metre extension was built to the back of the house in 1962, then your new Orangery could only extend less than three metres to rear of the house.

Restrictive covenant

When you purchased your house, the solicitor will have informed you of any covenants for the property. These are restrictions put in place by a previous owner that can stop you from any development or building work on the property or the surrounding land. If you've got a covenant, you might not be able to build an Orangery and are best to seek legal advice. It's worth noting that not all covenants can be legally upheld, depending on how they were drafted and worded, so a good solicitor could help you to get the covenant lifted.

Listed buildings

If you live in a listed building, you'll be aware that you have restrictions to any development or building work you can do to the property. You have to seek listed building consent for an Orangery to be added to a listed property.

Designated land

In addition to listed buildings, if you live in a Conservation Area, National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or World Heritage Site, then you're also subject to restriction on what you can do to your property.

This doesn't mean you can't build your Orangery, but you'll have to seek approval from the authority (e.g. national park) and there are rules such as:

• You can't clad any part of the Orangery or your house
• An Orangery to the side of the house doesn't fall into permitted development and would need planning permission

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