CM club.. Planning permission

[babydales]

There is a rumour going round that you need planning permission from your local council if you have more than 6 children and or employ an assistant. Please someone tell me you dont.

??planning permission for what?

To change your house from residential to business use.

You do because it needs to be registered as a business premises

BUT NCMA are campaigning against it - they haven't got anywhere yet

You need to quote PPG9 (I think) in your application - it will cost about £200-£250 and take 6-12 weeks

But each concuil treats it differently - depending upon the need for minding in the area

Thanks for that. Thought someone on here would know.

Im with the CSIW in Wales and to become a childminder here I needed to obtain planning permission from local council to be a childminder!
babydales I would speak to your inspector but if that was the case they wouldnt have registered you.

Here is a copy of the email I was sent

'Bye the way, have you got planning permission for your childminding business? Its looking like the vast majority of c/ms should have it (at a cost of £265). If you care for more than 6 children including your own or you employ staff then Stockport Council consider it a change of use from residential to Day Nursery and you must have planning permission. This is all news to me! but comes straight from Development Control at the council. A bit worrying!! '

I would speak to NCMA & seriously fight the Day Nursery bit

Whole different set of regs for that

But basically you do need the change of use bit

Its the wording 'more than' that threw me as I am registered for 6 under 5's when working with an assistant, who I do not pay, by the way. so is the assistant classed as an employee? Think I will phone the council myself and see what they have to say.

Will ask NCMA as well, even though I am not on their favourites list due to past falling out over policy wording.

Speak to NCMA first tho'

SureStart have some information about this on their website Childminding FAQ When talking with Planning Department, The guidance they should be using is planning policy is "Planning Policy Guidance 4 (PPG4), issued to local planning authorities by the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in 1992".

More info about PPG4 See paragraph 32 for where it mentions Childminding.

\link{http://www.surestart.gov.uk/_doc/P0001447.doc\Letter sent to planning officials by SureStart/Ofsted.

Has your local council actually mentioned anything to you? If not, then is it worth asking them the question - as if you ask I expect they will have to go through the paperwork, but if they don't know, then it's not an issue - is it? If at a later date someone moans and the council comes round you can always claim you didn't know anything and apply for retrospect planning permission.

Two out of 3 links working wasn't bad.

Here's the third link:
Letter sent to planning officials by SureStart/Ofsted

Found something from SouthBeds, which mentions in passing some Case Law regarding planning permission for childminders.

see page 33 of this document
"As regards the use of the extension and the garage as a nursery, PPG4 - 'Industrial, commercial development and small firms' - states in paragraph 32 on home working that childminding at home can be regarded as ancillary to the use of a house as a residential dwelling. Planning Case Law has established that this can amount to up to 6 children being accommodated without the need for planning permission subject to the circumstances of each individual case."

Glasgow City Plan has information relating to Childminders in Glasgow. Worth a read.
City Plan - RES 12 Childminding

Glasgow council say that:
"PLANNING PERMISSION IS REQUIRED WHERE ANY OF THE UNDERNOTED CIRCUMSTANCES APPLY
(i) where the childminder will employ an assistant to care for children in his/her own home;
(ii) where childminders will work together on a co-operative basis (other than where there are only two childminders and one of these is registered to care for the children in an emergency only); and
(iii) in a flat, where a childminder will look after more than four children under the age of eight, including the childminder?s own children."

Looks like each council could be doing it's own thing, though following PPG4 to a certain extent.

'xcuse hijack

Hijack over

bump