Planning permission an important consideration when you are planning to erect a steel building so it’s a good idea to contact your local authority planning department to chat about what it is that you want to do. A conversation at this stage can often indicate how likely it is that planning permission will eventually be granted and it gives you an overview on other considerations such as rights of way, floody risk, protected areas etc. Make sure that you take all your plans with you as well as any information you have on the type of building you have in mind.

In some areas, you can make a pre-applications for planning, which gives you another indication of how likely you are to be approved for your new building. This takes a couple of weeks and you can get some idea of anything you need to address before making your main formal application. You may need an environmental statement but you can find out at this stage if it is necessary.

As a general rule, planning permission is needed for any new commercial buildings that are higher than 4 meters. Some buildings may not need permission if there are Permitted Development Rights although this will only apply to industrial buildings such as warehouses and not for things like shops, gyms or car showrooms.

If a building is temporary, planning permission is usually only required if the building will be used for more than 28 days, however it the building is within 5 meters of the building site boundary, or it impacts on parking areas, permission must be sought. It’s definitely worth talking to your local planning officer about this, as the rules are not cut and tried for temporary buildings

You can make a planning application online yourself on the official Government website – www.planningportal.gov.uk and you can also find more information and guidance here. However, here at National Steel Buildings, we work with our partner architects who have years of experience. So together we can help you make sure you satisfy all the legal requirements for your new steel buildings.

Get in touch with us now to find out how we can help – we will be with you every step of the way.