Do I need planning permission…

[Travellingatthespeedoflight]

Our garage is set to the side of, and on the level below our house and has a sort of terrace above. It sticks out in front of the house, so the back of the garage is in line with the front of the house.

The top of the garage is sort of a terrace (read area for kids to do chalking/ bike riding/ obstacle courses etc) and has a very low (knee high at best) metal railings/ brick pillars around the edges.

We need to replace the railings as the brick pillars are wobbly and I have serious concerns that they will topple down when cycled into…

Given the height (ie on top of the garage), do we need planning permission for this? I imagine we also need to make the railings higher to ensure they are safe.

Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you!

I wouldn't have thought so. Maybe someone else will know.

All councils are different - contact yours. Seems unlikely, but no one here can tell you for sure.

If you are replacing like for like it should be ok. If you want to “change the look” eg go higher or so on then you may need permission, most likely permitted development rather than full planning.

That's what I thought @Tortephant .

@Travellingatthespeedoflight , Planning permission: When you need it - GOV.UK

"You’ll probably need planning permission if you want to:

• build something new
• make a major change to your building, such as building an extension
• change the use of your building"

as others say, to get the only answer that matters contact your council

they may tell you that you need buildings regulation sign off rather than planning permission given the railings serve a safety function rather than pure decoration

Thank you! Will try the local planning person at the council.