The Brew Cabin

We have a house and the existing patio is about 300mm below the floor level of the house. The patio is only about 2m deep. There is then about a 1m drop to the garden. The width of the garden is about 12m.

We are currently having a single storey extension built which will extend the back of the house on 1 side by 6m. (Facing the back of the house it is on the right hand half) We therefore will want to extend the patio (to about 8m).

Given that the garden is about 1m lower than the existing patio level we will have to build retaining walls and fill etc.

Several questions:

1. I presume that the retaining walls need to run on 3 sides i.e. across my garden where the end of the patio would be and also down each side of the garden (to stop my infill falling into next door - as it would only be held up by their fence). Is that right?

2. Does anyone have any idea if planning permission would be required. I haven't ever heard of anyone needing planning permission for a patio but looking at the governments planning websites, it seems that you don't need permission unless there would be "significant embankment or terracing" to support a patio.

Clearly the word "significant" is open to interpretation - does anyone have any experience of this. Would our 1m of embankment be regarded as significant?

If we built the full patio we wanted then we would overlook both of our neighbour's gardens and houses from the end of the patio as we would be higher than them. (One side would be much worse than the other as the road itself is on a hill and so one neighbour is higher than us and we are higher than the next house etc).

If we don't remove any of the material being excavated from the extension then I suspect that the levels in the proposed patio area would raise by about 0.3m anyway.

Our council are notorious for being difficult (especially where neighbour privacy is concerned) and so I dont really want to ask them if I dont have to.

3. Is there a maximum height fence we can put up to protect our privacy and the neighbours?

All thoughts gratefully received.

Thanks

Ben

1 - yes - you need a retainer structure (not nesser celery a wall) to three edges.

2 - If there is an issue of you being able to gawp into your neighbours' property, then it's best to check this plan with them and the LA before starting work, as, if they complain and the complaint is upheld, you will be required to demolish the lot, and retainer structure's ain't cheap!

If there was no issue of overlooking the neighbours', then I reckon 1 metre build-up would not be considered to be "significant". I suspect part of the reason for not strictly defining what is and what isn't "significant" allows local Planning Officer to make decisions on a case-by-case basis, and to take into account factors such as overlooking, lights, access, etc.

3 - 2 metres is the maximum height.