What can we legally do in our shed? -

[choosyfloosy]

Fnarr fnarr. Anyway, dh has basically set up an office in the shed. He won't be working there all the time, and it's not electrified (at the moment) but there's a desk, chair and a computer which he runs an extension lead out to if necessary.

Are we breaking the law? Does anyone know? Do we need planning permission for change of use? It's still a shed - lawnmowers, old pots of paint etc.

[cece]

Don't know but ours is a utility shed and has a sink, fridge, washing machine and tumble drier in

[choosyfloosy]

it's huge, so big that we had to get retrospective planning permission for it (not actually that enormous but there are loads of rules where we live).

The worry is that we had to do that because a delightful unknown person shopped us to the council for having an enormo-shed put up. So the same charmer will no doubt be delighted to inform on us for running a brothel out of the same industrial shed (i.e. my dh drafting a patent claim or two).

The 4m thing - does it have to be at least 4m from the house, or less than 4m from the house, to be OK?

[gemmiegoatlegs]

well, i saw an episode of property ladder where the owner was hoping to rent out her glorified shed as a living space, and wasn't allowed because she needed planning permission. Sarah Beeny suggested using it as a chillout room, can have electrics etc as long as no-one is living out there. HTH

[ChippyMinton]

Check your planning consent to see if any conditions were attached regarding use.
OK to 'work from home' in it. If used for business would depend on the scale and if it impacted on the neighbours ie lots of visitors/noisy machinery/parked cars. OK to pretty much use it for any domestic purpose but not to let it out as a separate dwelling. Power, water etc may need Building Regulations approval (to do woth health and safety rather than use)

[Hideehi]

Can it be made out of bricks then, I quite fancy a games/gym/chill out room, like a big summer house but wouldn't want that made of wood as we'd have expensive kit in there.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Yes hideehi - you can build it from brick. My parents have done that.

[Hideehi]

Thank, dusts off the overalls

[pooka]

Check planning conditions if any on the retrospective permission.

If none applciable, you can use the shed "for purposes incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse" by which it is meant that you can use the shed in any way you like so long as you aren't creating a new planning unit (i.e. running an independent business that would result in callers, using it for storage of trade equipment and so on).

A home office would be fine so long as you aren't advertising it as being a commercial operation, you aren't having clients calling (brothel?), you aren't conflicting or competing with the main use of the site as a whole as a residential house. IYSWIM.