Does a garden room need planning permission in London?
A garden room can be built without planning permission if it stays within the Class E limits: no more than 50% of the curtilage covered, 2.5 metres high within 2 metres of a boundary, and 4 metres with a dual-pitched roof. Building Regulations are a separate test. Our garden room drawings start at £495.
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The three limits that matter most
Garden rooms fall under Class E of the General Permitted Development Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1 (legislation.gov.uk). Three tests decide most cases.
Coverage: buildings, enclosures and containers must not cover more than 50% of the curtilage, excluding the ground area of the original house. Boundary height: an outbuilding within 2 metres of the curtilage boundary may be up to 2.5 metres high. Overall height: an outbuilding with a dual-pitched roof may be up to 4 metres high.
The room must also serve the house, as a study, a gym or a place to relax, not as a separate home. Our glossary entry on permitted development explains the right, and our outbuilding guide covers sheds and studios in general.
Where the right does not apply
Flats and maisonettes do not have these rights, and a council can remove them with an Article 4 direction. Listed buildings and conservation areas add their own limits. If the garden sits in one of those places, or the room breaks a limit, you need an application.
When the answer is unclear, a Lawful Development Certificate settles it in writing before you buy the building.
Permitted development drawings for a garden room start at £495 (pricing page), and the garden room drawings page lists what comes with it.
Building Regulations: a different set of numbers
Planning and Building Regulations are separate approvals. Under Schedule 2, Class 6 of the Building Regulations 2010, a detached building with a floor area not exceeding 15m2 and no sleeping accommodation is exempt. A detached single-storey building not exceeding 30m2, with no sleeping accommodation, is also exempt if it sits at least one metre from the boundary or is built substantially of non-combustible material.
A room that exceeds those figures, includes a bed, or is attached to the house is controlled. Our Building Regulations approval guide shows the checks.
Drawings that prove the limits, and the fee if you apply
Permitted development drawings for a garden room start at £495 (pricing page), and the garden room drawings page lists what comes with it.
If you do need an application, the council fee for operations within the curtilage of a house for purposes ancillary to its enjoyment, such as an outbuilding, is £272 in England from April 2026.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| £495 | DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for garden room permitted development drawings, from the published price list | drawingsdirect.co.uk |
| 50% | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class E.1(b): buildings, enclosures and containers must not cover more than 50% of the curtilage, excluding the ground area of the original house (source wording: "would exceed 50% of the total area of the curtilage") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 2.5 metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class E.1(e)(ii): an outbuilding within 2 metres of the curtilage boundary may be up to 2.5 metres high (source wording: "2.5 metres in the case of a building ... within 2 metres of the boundary") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 4 metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class E.1(e)(i): an outbuilding with a dual-pitched roof may be up to 4 metres high (source wording: "4 metres in the case of a building with a dual-pitched roof") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 15m2 | Building Regulations 2010 Sch 2 Class 6 para 3: a detached building with a floor area not exceeding 15m2 and no sleeping accommodation is exempt (source wording: "not exceed 15m2") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 30m2 | Building Regulations 2010 Sch 2 Class 6 para 1: a detached single-storey building not exceeding 30m2, with no sleeping accommodation and at least one metre from the boundary or built substantially of non-combustible material, is exempt (source wording: "not exceed 30m2") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| £272 | Fees for planning applications in England from 1 April 2026 (MHCLG, SI 2012/2920 as annually indexed), category 7: operations within the curtilage of a house for purposes ancillary to its enjoyment, such as an outbuilding, or gates, fences and walls on its boundary (source wording: £272) | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
Questions people ask
Do I need planning permission for a garden room?
Do garden rooms need building regulations?
Can I use a garden room as a bedroom?
Photographs: David Hawgood (CC BY-SA 2.0).
