Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Any planners around- new planning and infrastructure bill

7 replies

Zone4flaneur · 01/02/2026 12:32

Hello

Wondering if there are any planners on here who would know how the new legal provisions in the bill will be rolled out? We want to apply for planning for a loft extension that there's a reasonably high chance would have been rejected previously, but is expressly allowed under the new bill (we want to raise the roof height in a way that is visible from the street- a front to back mansard on a butterfly roof- none of the rest of the houses on the street have it done, but they are not very visually uniform, with some newer infill- all different colours, heights of parapet walls, different bays etc- so it's not a charming georgian terrace where all the houses look the same). Architect seems a bit clueless about how the changes to the law will be applied (or that there was one, but we spoke to 3 architects who all seemed to know nothing about it).

The bill got assent in December but I am wondering how that trickles down to planners in practice- do you have to wait for guidance to come out? We're happy to hold off putting in in for a bit if we need to, but also don't want to wait forever, because if we can't get it through (including on appeal) we'll need to move and will progress with some more basic reno to see us through for a bit and sell.

It's a London borough so there's the wider London plan to consider as well I guess. Any thoughts or experience welcome.

OP posts:
Aboutmeabouttime · 01/02/2026 12:41

Speak to a planning consultant. Not sure which bit of the P&IA you are referring to but it’s the NPPF, London and Local Plan and any Design Guidance locally that matter most to you at the moment.

Zone4flaneur · 01/02/2026 15:34

Yes the NPPF refers to what we want to do specifically in the latest update. Our borough's planning guidance is wildly out of date though so not much help (and having just checked, so I guess that's the lead document- the local plan is only about big developments; the design guidance is out of date and quite vague). Our roof type is really uncommon in our borough, I know other boroughs have specific design guidance for mansards as they're much more common.

What does a planning consultant actually do? My understanding is there is limited space in the planning application to provide a justification and the design and access statement is only for larger developments? I'll speak to the architect about it and whether they have one that they use but I thought they were only for really big stuff (we're not in a conservation area or anything).

OP posts:
DrPrunesqualer · 01/02/2026 16:00

I’m an Architect and
You can and should submit a design and Access statement for your project especially as it will need justifying

MrsMcGarry · 01/02/2026 16:04

See if your council offer pre-planning advice - in some areas for an extra fee of a couple of hundred pounds you can speak to a senior planning officer at the council to see what they would recommend/allow in your area. As these are usually the people making the decisions its far better value than a planning consultant.

Seeline · 01/02/2026 16:09

It's not the Act, it's the consultation version of the revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework.
The consultation ends on 10/3. The government will then consider responses before issuing a final version so wait and see what that says first. I'm guessing early Summer at the earliest.

A Planning Consultant will provide a planning statement to accompany an application, indicating how the proposal meets relevant planning policy, and addressing any problems that the LPA might raise.

Seeline · 01/02/2026 16:27

Actually looking into it, the 2023 version of the nppf introduced detailed guidance for upward extensions of buildings involving mansard roofs. The NPPF 2024 revision simplified the advice, continuing support, but removing what was seen as a disproportionate emphasis on one particular type of development.
The new consultation version doesn't appear to reference this at all. It still requires developments to fit in with their surroundings.
Local Design Guides and Local Plans/The London Plan remain material considerations in determining planning applications.

DrPrunesqualer · 01/02/2026 16:31

Seeline · 01/02/2026 16:27

Actually looking into it, the 2023 version of the nppf introduced detailed guidance for upward extensions of buildings involving mansard roofs. The NPPF 2024 revision simplified the advice, continuing support, but removing what was seen as a disproportionate emphasis on one particular type of development.
The new consultation version doesn't appear to reference this at all. It still requires developments to fit in with their surroundings.
Local Design Guides and Local Plans/The London Plan remain material considerations in determining planning applications.

Agree and I think OP you’ll struggle to get permission for what you want with a butterfly roof and if it’s seen from the front.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread