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PLANNING PERMISSION
Q Does planning per mission expire?
A Three years is the ‘default’ period in England. Situations and places change. Something that may have been permitted in the past may no longer be acceptable for a number of reasons. Having an expiry date for planning permission ensures that proposals are carried out within a reasonable timeframe. This helps to ensure that they remain suitable for their location based on the relevant factors taken into account when the permission was granted.
It also ensures that local councils and national government can plan ahead based on what is expected to be built or take place in any given area.
Generally, an expiry date cannot be extended once put in place [you’ll need to reapply], but the period stated in the permission can be longer or shorter, based on the specifics of the proposal and its location. If a longer period is needed, it is advisable to discuss this with the local authority in advance.
Exceptional circumstances (such as the recent pandemic) or changes in legislation can also mean that temporary provisions are put in place to allow deadlines to be extended. However, bear in mind that these are usually time-limited and restricted to specific situations or certain criteria.
THE PASSIVE HOUSE PLANNING PROGRAMME
Q We’d like to build our home to Passivhaus standards without going for certification and have heard about the Passive House Planning Programme (PHPP). How soon into the project should we start using it?
A The PHPP is modelling software developed by the Passivhaus Institute to be used when designing energy-efficient buildings to calculate their operational energy use and carbon emissions.
Performance gaps are one of the biggest challenges in construction. Buildings often do not perform as they are designed to, so using a tool such as the PHPP to provide r
