Living Roof - any experience/can we challenge planning permission?

[henrilechat]

We’ve just got planning permission for a single storey extension but the council have added a constraint that it needs to have a living roof. The roof needs to be predominantly wildflowers rather than sedum so I’m pretty nervous about maintenance given the erratic summers we’re having.

Does anyone have a living roof and can let me know how you find it please? It sounds like quite a lot of work to keep it watered just the right amount and keeping It tidy.

Also, does anyone know if there’s anyway of challenging this without going to a full on appeal to the planning inspectorate? I’m quite annoyed because their reasoning is that the living roof is to make up for land lost to the building and to maintain biodiversity in urban areas. But the extension is mainly being built over a patio and we aren’t in an urban area. We also have an enormous garden that contains an actual wildflower meadow at one end and loads of wildlife so a small patch of roof garden isn’t going to be adding anything.

Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I do not think that there is any route of appeal other than the planning inspector people. I would write in my statement exactly what you have said above that there is no biodiversity loss because the land was patio to begin with.

Failing that can you plonk a roll of turf 1m2 on the roof? have they actually defined living roof? If not they might struggle to enforce that one.

Furthermore did the planning officer discuss the constraint with you or your architect before issuing the permission? They are supposed to do that first I seem to recall.

Just fill it with sedum and some "wildflower" tough little alpines, and scatter over seeds of something like red clover.

They're pretty low maintenance, and I think this is a worthwhile planning stipulation for anything flat-roofed.

But when they come to check on the work, as long as there's something growing in there, I doubt anyone will check what it is.

You can change it to something easier to look after, after the inspection....

... but bear in mind that if you make changes from what is stipulated under planning approval - e.g. get rid of the living roof altogether - you may have problems when you come to sell as it will come up at the enquiries stage. I suppose you could remove it and reinstate it at that point.

It does seem like a ridiculous stipulation though, so if you can appeal it, then that may be worth doing.

Some neighbours up the road have one on their huge garage. It’s always been an ugly, weedy mess from the get go! And has a huge metal rail along it. It couldn’t be less natural looking if they tried! Nothing like the surrounding countryside.

They are low maintenance - as designed to be on a roof - and don't need to be 'tidy'. Just put in some easy low growing wildflowers like bird's foot trefoil or clover.

I don't think it's worth trying to avoid complying, personally.

I wouldn't bother appealing. plant some sedums and clover, and then let it go wild. if they complain that it is a mess, point out that wild unkempt land is a mess.

We have a small one on our extension. We can't actually see it from ground level but go up a ladder now and again to see. It's a mix of wildflowers and sedum and has survived two very different summers with only a couple of watering sessions.

How much will it weigh ?

I've never heard of this, wouldn't it retain water and cause damp/rot?

Can you put some pots of flowers up there? Not sure if that would be acceptable or if living roof is a defined legal term

They are becoming very common and look fantastic - so worries about weight and damp are needless

They also help with insulation

They look beautiful

We have the same condition attached to planning permission for a flat roof garage.
It is replacing a dilapidated structure, there is no biodiversity loss.
There is no requirement to maintain it.
The building inspector has said he’s only concerned with structural matters and will sign off our garage as complete without the living roof.
We have been quoted £3k for a living roof that cannot be seen unless you stand on a chair and stick your head out of the toilet window. It is not visible from the street.

We’re not going to have one!

The building inspector will care only for the structure. It’s not enforceable under the building regulations.

Your concern would be if planning enforcement visit and you have not done it.

Any living roof I’ve seen on domestic dwellings look atrocious after a year or so. Really scruffy. They can be nice if maintained correctly.

I've just googled it and they do look good, with insulation advantages too. Although the structure needs to be capable of supporting the extra weight. Looks like you need to do maintenance so if you can't access the roof you need to use ladders. There should also be layers to protect the roof from water and roots. Germany have had them for over 100 years. I'm going to get my (old) extension structure checked to see if it can take the weight.

Oh and a living roof lasts 200% longer than a normal roof apparently (over 50 years)

No direct experience but i think they look great.

We have one. It was originally sown with a general purpose wild flower mix but has since been colonised by whatever has self sown.

We never do any maintenance.

I think it looks great.

You could look into applying to vary the condition- phone up the council and ask about the process.

You could appeal to the planning inspectorate to have the condition removed however that can be lengthy and still end up with the same condition.

Living roofs don't have to be onerous, other posters above have said so. Plus it isn't just about replacing biodiversity of what the extension will be sited on, but biodiversity elsewhere. Plus the council has a duty to require developments to improve the environment, not just maintain the status quo.

Do they become a haven for weeds? There is one being installed next to my allotment so I'm wondering if it's going to be a dandelion fest after a while.

Weeds aka wild flowers. Dandelions are colourful, edible, produce fairy keys. One man's meat and all that

You can apply to the council to vary the condition. Is the roof material specified in the original plans at all?

Check if the council have any biodiversity net gain policies. You might need to say you'll do something somewhere else.

I'd get a planning consultant on it to help.

There are native sedums. We also have thrift in ours.

They are great for insulation, and to support bees and other insects (and therefore for much needed pollination). I know it seems mad if you're not in an urban area but I guess every little helps. I would rather look out over some close knit camomile and clover than some scruffy gravel, asphalt, creosote.l or roof tiles. Greener, cleaner, cooler - what's not to like?

Not all of them. Some, yes. But a neighbour has one and TBH it's horrible. But it is heavily shaded with trees. So it depends. And they do add a lot of weight, so you have to allow for that.
Given that it's replacing a patio, I can't see why they are asking for it. I wonder if the OP could go for a pitched roof instead?

My parents had a green roof for forty years, no issues. Just needs to be built correctly from the start, with extra weight accounted for and proper roof membranes installed. Never did any extra watering. Bonus point, it helps prevent heat buildup in summer.