Building a live our ridge line & planning permission

[lollipoppi]

We're in a bungalow and planning on building a double story extension at the back of our bungalow and creating 2 bedrooms upstairs. To get the full head height we would need to build above our ridge line by around 20 inches
Now I know this is not allowed within the building regulations, however, our next door neighbour who we are attached to has done it, and a bungalow at the back of ours has done it too.

I've had a couple of builders round and they have both said that as the other bungalows have done it they have "set a precedent" so we should be able to do it too.
What are the chances of it getting approved?

I don't really want to pay an architect £400-£600 in drawings of its not going to get approved by the council

Title fail! Building above our ridge line

Can you lower the ceilings in the floor below instead? I've seen that done successfully.

I don't think we can, I discussed this option with one of the builders and he said its a huge job.
We have around 40k to build a double extension and rearrange the rooms downstairs, relocate the bathroom ect.
I've absolutely no idea how much all this is going to cost as nobody will even give me a ball park figure without drawings, I think if we lowered the ceilings too it would tip is way over budget

Isn't the government pushing through legislation giving an almost automatic right to extend upwards to the height of neighbouring properties?

I've not heard anything about that lala il have a look into it

The new 'PD' rights (permitted development) haven't been published yet - they were announced in the budget.

Surely if they gave permission for your neighbours to do it what reason would they have to turn you down?

All depends when they did it, there is a few houses round my way that when they did there 2 storey side sections they built flush to the front of the house, but its been a few years now that we have to go back 3 meters id you are doing a 2 storey extension.

It was done over 20 years ago

I really hope we can go ahead with it if we can't we will have to move which I really don't want to do

You can ring your local planning office for advice. They would be best placed to say whether it is even likely to be passed.

But they only give 'officer advice' which Members don't have to go along with and is only one person's thoughts on the issue... so certainly not definitive.