Planning Permission For Timber Garden Buildings

Last updated: April 2026

One of the most frequent questions we are asked is do I need planning permission for my Garden Building? If you're investing in a high-quality shed, garden office, garden room or garage, this guide explains how permitted development rights for homeowners may apply.

For any timber garden structures located within the curtilage of your house, such as garden sheds and summerhouses, permitted development rights will apply. The good news is that the majority of the buildings we install don't require planning permission.

Our quick and easy to use planning permission calculator will help you work out if you need permission for your garden building. We also offer a dedicated planning permission service for anyone who requires it, with an efficient team who will support you with the planning and paperwork, when you buy a garden building from us.

The Guidelines

Whether you need planning permission for your garden building or enclosure will depend on eight key factors:

1. The height of the building
2. The size of the building and total area it covers
3. The location of the building
4. The building’s intended use
5. The presence of raised platforms such as verandas or balconies
6. Your property type
7. If you have a listed building
8. If you live on designated land

Providing certain criteria are met and the building is considered permitted development, you can proceed without needing planning permission.

1. Building height

How tall can my garden office be without planning permission?

You will need planning permission if:

• Your building is more than one storey tall
• Your building is more than 2.5 metres from existing ground level (if within 2 metres of a property boundary)
  OR
• Your building is more than 4 metres for a dual pitched roof or 3 metres for any other type of roof (if built more than 2 metres from a property boundary)
• The eaves are more than 2.5 metres (if you have a dual pitched roof).

Did you know? All Crane garden buildings with pent roofs are less than 2.5m in height. We can also lower the overall roof height of the majority of our apex roof buildings to help keep things simple for you.

 

2. Building size & area

How big can my garden room be without planning permission?

You will need planning permission if:

• Your building is more than 30 metres square
• Buildings which are not part of the original house (including extensions, sheds and conservatories) collectively cover more than 50% of the total curtilage.

 

3. Building location

Where am I allowed to put a garden building? 

You will need planning permission if:

• The building is to be built in front of the principal elevation of the house
• The building will be closer to a road or public highway than the original house itself.

Don’t forget to take into consideration the location of your garden shed, garage, summerhouse or other outbuilding in respect of fire safety regulations. If your timber building is between 15-30 square meters, it must be positioned at least 1 meter from any boundary. The only exception is if the external wall that's facing the boundary is made of non-combustible material. 

 

4. Intended use

What can I use my garden room for?

You will need planning permission if:

• The building will be used as a self-contained living accommodation (e.g. as a granny annexe)
• The building will be fitted with a microwave antenna

Crane Garden Buildings do not sell buildings for use as self-contained living accommodation; this is because buildings for this purpose need to comply with the strict rules of building regulations, which our buildings do not.

 

5. Raised platforms (verandas and balconies)

Do I need planning permission for a veranda?

You will need planning permission if:

• Your veranda or balcony is more than 0.3 metres high.

Our raised platforms all come in at under 0.3 metres as standard - meaning you can have all the luxury of an outdoor transition space, without any additional hassle!

 

6. Your property type

Can I have a shed for my flat?

The above guidance covered so far all applies to houses, which have different permitted development rights to flats, maisonettes and apartments. In most cases, planning permission would be required for garden rooms being built near these properties.

 

7. Listed buildings

Can I build a garden shed near my listed building?

You will need planning permission and listed building consent if:

• Your building features on the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.

Don’t let these considerations put you off! We build a considerable number of garden buildings for customers with listed properties and can help support you with your planning permission application (service does not cover listed building consent application).

 

8. Designated land

What are the restrictions for building on designated land?

Designated land is the term used to describe areas of interest such as: National Parks, the Broads, World Heritage Sites, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and conservation areas.

You will need planning permission if:

• The building would sit between a side wall and the boundary of the land surrounding the house.
• For National Parks, the Broads, World Heritage Sites and Areas of Outstanding Natural beauty, the total area of ground covered by the garden building would exceed 10 metres, and is situated more than 20 metres from any wall of the dwelling.

 

For further information, visit the Government Planning Portal website.

We hope this planning advice has been helpful to you.

If you would like to learn more about our wide range of timber garden buildings, please click on one of the links below: