Homeowner Cleared to Join Semi-Detached Houses Without Planning Permission

A HOMEOWNER has been told planning permission wasn’t required to join two formerly semi-detached houses together and make one home. 
Ken Hammond had already been granted a certificate of completion of the work by Monmouthshire County Council’s building control department in March last year and the authority’s street naming and numbering department approved a change of address back in August 2021. 
He asked the council to confirm planning permission wasn’t required for the work which involved creating an internal doorway between the property formerly split into a pair of semi-detached houses to create the single family home at The Shooting Box in woodland, near Pen Yr Heol, west of Monmouth. 
Mr Hammond made his application for a certificate of lawful development this month and it was granted by the council’s planning department that said it had to consider legislation, case law and its own policies. 
Planning officer Helen Etherington said legislation from 1990 said it is a material change of use, which requires planning permission, to use what was a single house for two or more houses but it made no provision for two or more houses being used as one house. 
But she said a 2001 judgement found planning permission would only be required in those circumstances if it results in a “significant change in the character and impact of the use in planning terms”. She said the judgement made it clear there needed to be a “more than marginal” impact. 
Ms Etherington said as the changes were only internal there is no material impact and she needed to consider the council’s own policies and that Monmouthshire’s local development plan has no relevant policy “seeking to retain such dwellings in rural locations”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​