Permitted Development Garden building

[gettingnervous]

Hi,

I have bought a second hand garden timber building - 8m x 4.2m. We have left 2m from each boundary. The previous owner of the building had 3 partitions and was used by their teenager daughter. We always wanted a summerhouse and finding one 1/3rd of the price for a bigger timber building was too good to miss. I have verified that its fine under permitted development as per technical rules. But the catch is that it has a kitchen and bathroom, a small bedroom and sitting room. So it can look like a self contained. We are not fitting the kitchen and bathroom yet, have run out of money and there is no rush but electrics will be part P. It comes with all fittings as we have stored in the bathroom section of the garden office. I would like to use it for working from home and will never be used as sleeping accommodation.

The guys building it have made me nervous saying neighbours could get jealous and it may be difficult convincing planning authority that we do not intend to use it as self contained because it does have a kitchen and bathroom. I was so happy to get a bargain but now I'm confused and worried. Even though its a bargain, its still a lot of money and I don't want to go it to waste. The next door neighbours seem fine. We don't know the people whose back gardens are connecting to ours. One of them have 10 feet high trees so they probably won't even notice that we have put something in our back garden. But one neighbour I haven't been able to talk to and don't know them. I'm getting nervous that I may not sound too convincing because of the internal fear and anxiety talking to strangers, specially when they come around questioning my intensions. Googling Ancillary vs Incidental is killing me. Please help! Am I trouble?

[superram]

Not a problem if you don't run running water. If you do, you need planning permission.

[atticusclaw]

You might also find you have to pay council tax on it as a separate annexe.

[gettingnervous]

We are not running water but the building has dividing panels for the bedroom and en-suite. The sitting room has the area for a kitchenette. Is it okay to say its second hand and not custom made for our requirement. Even though it had a different use before, we have no intension of using it as self contained accomodation?

[cooper44]

I think you would have to remove the plumbing - the rules for council tax are that if you have both bathroom and kitchen in an outbuilding then you are liable for a separate council tax - even it's the pipework. That's what my council website says - not sure if it's different in different counties though.
And for PP anything that seems like an annexe could be an issue - although if you can prove you are only using it as the structure with no running water going in etc. Can you not call your local planning dept and just ask them? Then they can give you the definitive answer and you are covered.

[atticusclaw]

You do need to call the council. If not you could find that it costs you more to take down the building than it did to put it up.