Previous planning permission rejected

[syall]

Hi all, after some advice really. We are in the process of buying a property, it is currently a 3 bedroom and the idea was that we would then go up into the roof to add the 4th bedroom with a piggy back extension (the house is a detached Victorian villa). However the searches have come back and it seems that back in 2011 an application for this exact thing was submitted and subsequently rejected due to the there being a separation gap to the east of the property which would make this visually prominent.
As this has been previously rejected, even over 10 years ago, I am assuming we would not then be able to reapply, or that if we did this would also be rejected? Is there anything we can do to find out short of resubmitting for permission before we proceed with the purchase?

Op, I'm not an expert but I do know that at some point in the last few years rules have changed. If I were you I would check what planning permission has been given on similar houses recently and see if similar houses have since been given planning permission and read the reports on them that the planning department write. You could also ask the council what sort of things are allowed these days although in my area you'd be unlikely to get a reply as they're so busy.

Permitted development rules have changed a lot since then. Might be worth checking to see if planning permission would even be required now. You may only need building regs

It does sound unlikely but could be worth getting a copy of the plans to see exactly what was proposed in 2011 if you haven't already - you may then be able to get informal advice as to whether there's another way it could be designed to make it more likely to be approved? Ultimately a big risk though as there isn't anything formal you would be able to get back from the Council in your timeframe to give you comfort either way. Alot of Council's also have a duty planner service where you can call and get informal advice - they might be happy to look at the plans and let you know if it was a design/scale issue that could be overcome or if it is just a straight refusal.

Definitely worth looking at permitted development options too - good point made by pp that I'd overlooked!

Get the old application and see on what grounds it was rejected and if any neighbours objected.
Hopefully you will get some pointers as the how you might modify the design idea to encompass any areas that were previously reasons for rejection.
If the house is previously undeveloped then you will also have the permitted development area available to add. In general if you add a room in the loft space without changing the roofline then this is OK. Obviously building regs apply for this regarding, fire safety and fire boundaries, head height and stair access.
Many of the larger loft conversion companies have informative websites.